


Final Seeker

by idigam



Series: Kingdom Hearts Φ [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: EVERYONE - Freeform, F/M, Keyblade Wielders (Kingdom Hearts), Like all the characters, Mark of Mastery, Master of Darkness, Post-Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Seekers of Darkness, darkness is not evil, heart of darkness, kh3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-02-04 14:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 45,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12772887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idigam/pseuds/idigam
Summary: Xehanort's Keyblade War is fast approaching and Sora needs to find a way to save those trapped in Darkness and in sleep. We begin ten years ago at the conclusion of his first attempt.





	1. Stained Glass Prison

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?” Vanitas lunged, for the first time ever he showed a true emotion. Up until now Ventus had only seen the boy express was some sort of sadistic glee, cocky attitude, or taunting, now however his face is twisted with rage and hate, but something else, the way his pupils are blown and the hyperventilating breath, Vanitas is panicking. Ventus is firm but quiet, “I protected my friends, something you wouldn’t know anything about.” Vanitas laughs, the shades of Tank Topplers, Shoegrazers, and even the Iron Imprisoner appear and lash out at him, but they are distractions, here in Sora’s heart they’re nothing more than echoes of Vanitas’ darkness. “You robbed me of the _**ONE**_ reason I have to exist, the _**ONE**_ justification for an abomination like me! That’s what you’ve done, you selfish prick.” Vanitas surges forward with his keyblade again the two clash blades banging against each other, “selfish, that’s a laugh coming from you! You’re nothing but selfishness!” Vanitas’ snarl turns into an unhinged grin, “not true, I’m hate too Ventus, and I hate you more than all existence, for the first time ever I want you to go away more than anything else. CONGRATULATIONS!” Vanitas launches a volley of dark energy at Ventus who parries with a counter. “Fine with me;” the battle rages and shows no sign of abating in intensity…

 

*****

“Sora! Why did you think it was okay to hit Riku? What could have possessed you to do such a thing?” It took ten minutes to pull the two boys apart, and then another half hour to get Sora to stop crying, that Sora had started it made both parents balk. Now he’s in his mothers kitchen while she tries to get the swelling in his cheek to go down. “I dunno, he said he wah-was gonna leave me behind, and I just got super mad at him, I dunno why...” As if realizing what he did all over again Sora started bawling, his mother sighs, “sweetie, I’m sure that it’ll be fine, you apologize to Riku tomorrow, and if you ever feel like that again try something else. Why don’t you race him? Then you can see who gets left behind.” She tries to console him, shushing him slightly, “Oh-okay” Sora says between sniffles.

 

*****

Ventus repelled Vanitas, he didn’t defeat the boy, despite it’s power the χ-blade was not a weapon Vanitas was used to, now that he’d fallen back on his Void Gear he was much more skilled. Still Vanitas had retreated, now he could feel Vanitas out there in the darkness beyond the station, brooding and pacing like a predator in a cage. More unversed shades were spilling out, the Iron Imprisoner is there, floating around in all it’s menace, an Unversed that looked like a coach was circling the station, monotruckers trailing in it’s wake, there’s also an army of Thornbites. Eventually it all fades, he’s still out there, still seething, but now there’s just a spinning wheel looking shade, and the Metamorphosis they’d drifted there for what seemed like an eternity.

 

It was the first time Ventus tried to think about what Vanitas was, what the Unversed were, and what they wanted. Vanitas had told him they were his “fledgling emotions” what emotions were they. Both the Unversed in front of him now have sad faces, so maybe that was somewhere to start, he remembered the Metamorphosis, it had twisted and changed over the course of their fight. It moved without purpose and attacked the ship when it saw it but only then. So, Vanitas was his darker half, but he hated him, said as much himself, hated him more than anything, so what did that say about Vanitas’ sense of identity. He was interrupted by the shades disappearing, and a volley of dark bolts launch from the center of menace around Vanitas. It takes Ventus off guard and he has to dodge roll unable to time a block, “don’t analyze me, you don’t know me, you have no right!” Was shouted from the void.

 

*****

“Why?” Ventus calls out towards the blackness where he could feel waves surly angst radiating from, “why did you want the  χ -blade so badly?” There’s a pause, like Vanitas was contemplating whether to answer him or whether to remain silent out of spite. “What do you have to lose by talking to me?” Ventus asked, it had been what felt like an eternity since they’d been locked up inside the boy’s heart. “What do you have to gain by talking to me?” A sarcastic mirror to his question, also petulant and childish, but it was something so Ventus answered honestly. “I want to learn about you, you said you came from my heart, but all you’ve done is torment the people I love and help the one who hurt me. Why?” Ventus could hear the shrug in the others response, “because you’re weak, you’re friends coddled you, made you soft, how else were you going to make the  χ -blade if you didn’t leave them? You were to o soft for Xehanort’s training.” Ventus tried to keep the bitterness out of his thoughts, the other boy was baiting him, trying to make him mad so he’d be left alone and yet. They were faint but he could make out a swarm of sad faces in the dark all identical, jellyshades were the only Unversed that congregated like that, what did they represent?

 

“Xehanort ripped my heart in two because I wouldn’t use darkness to fight those monsters he summoned. I wouldn’t call that a nurturing training session.” A scoff from the void, “that’s because you fought him, know what I learned from the old bastard? I learned how to channel myself, how to control my emotions, how to move through the worlds unseen, even by other key bearers.” There’s a smirk in that last one that chilled Ven to his core, how often had Vanitas spied on he and his friends? How easily could Vanitas have ended him before he even left the land of departure? “He taught me how to fight past pain you could barely imagine, I would never have been caught off guard by him the way you were.” Ventus put his chin in his hands, “still beat you didn’t I?” There’s a pause then a response more venomous than he’d expected, “yeah, and you made me as big a failure as you. You’re worthless for everything, including the one thing you should have been good for.” Who was Vanitas talking to? The second half was fainter like the other had turned away from him.

 

*****

It was another long span of time before Ventus even wanted to try speaking to his darker half again, but the quiet in the station was getting to him. “You never answered my question.” There’s no response. “Vanitas?” The station stays completely silent.

 

*****

“Your question was stupid.” The statement startles Ventus, it came from very close and his keyblade is in his hand as soon as he hears it. There’s a slightly manic laugh and a spiderchest shade. “Why else would I want the  χ -blade? To start a keyblade war and plunge everything into everlasting darkness.” It’s such a simple statement, made in a matter-of-fact manner, but it chills Ventus to his core. “Just make everything as dark as you right?” He spits in the direction of his wayward half. Vanitas scoffs his reply is all smug cockiness that Ven’s grown accustomed too, not the pure hate he’d been getting, “everything means everything idiot, do you think that the Great Darkness would ignore something like me? No after we fused and I used the blade it would all end.” He sounded wistful, melancholic even, then the hate returns to his voice, “but that’s not going to happen now.” The Metamorphosis shade appeared behind him along with the spinning wheel again. “Why would Xehanort want to destroy everything?” Vanitas leaned out of the dark beyond the station enough for Ven to see his absolutely vicious smile. “Oh he thought he’d survive it, body snatch your buddy Terra and live past the war,  _WE_ would have ended them, I would have made sure that Xehanort died first.”

 

Ventus shudders stunned by this, why did Vanitas crave destruction on such a scale so badly he was willing to die for it? Could such a demented, broken creature really have come from him? That’s when it occurs to him, he kept looking at Vanitas as some sort of monster, some inhuman thing. But he was a part of Ventus, so Ventus wondered what would have driven even the darkness of himself to crave such a thing? “I thought he taught you all that useful stuff?” He asked, unsure if he wanted to know what Vanitas would respond with. Luckily for him Vanitas just withdrew into the void. The conversation apparently over.

 

*****

A bright light flares in the distance, “he’s met someone new. A new heart to connect with.” There’s a fond smile in Ven’s voice, a disgusted noise comes from somewhere off in the dark, “a pure light princess, ugh, of all the people in all the worlds to meet.”  _Another heart of pure light? Princess?_ “What do you mean? I thought I was the only one like that.” There’s a flash of the yellow pot Unversed, then Vanitas’ voice laced with contempt. “What was Eraqus teaching you? Seven maidens with hearts devoid of shadow.” He quoted like he was reciting from a script, then Vanitas made a gagging noise. “They must be the most uptight, self-righteous, pompous people in existence. If you and Aqua and your precious teacher are anything to go on.” Ventus frowns at the patch of shadow Vanitas’ voice came from, “are you negative about everything?” There’s a hysterical laugh from the other, “I’m  _your_ negative, so what do you think.” Ventus just sighs and turns away from the dark, content to show the conversation is over.

 

*****

“You said the Unversed are your emotions right? That they just return to you when killed?” There’s silence, then a quiet, “yeah, so?” Ventus had to know, thinking back to fighting them, how many small cuts had he given to Vanitas before ever meeting him? How had Xehanort twisted that in him? “Does it matter? You killed me remember? What’s a paper cut compared to that?” Vanitas asks as though sensing his thoughts. Ventus presses, “yes it does matter, I want to understand.” Vanitas snarls, “understand what? Me? Guess what you can’t. You’re light, I’m darkness, we fight, we destroy each other, your teacher and mine taught that. I’m an abomination, I shouldn’t exist, the  χ -blade was the only justification I had, now I’m here, it’s not. Those are the facts, and guess what, you think I would have fought the Unversed if I couldn’t handle a little pain? You’re not the only one who needed to be in top shape to serve his purpose.” Ventus couldn’t even start to respond, how do you respond to that?

 

*****

“It doesn’t justify what you did, how you tormented my friends and I.” Vanitas is laying on the opposite part of the station, it’s the first time they’ve been on the platform together without trying to kill each other. Ventus couldn’t help but feel kind of good about it, like even Vanitas couldn’t keep hatred burning forever, but he needed to make sure the other boy knew where he stood, that he wasn’t forgiven, probably never would be. “Yeah, so? I don’t need forgiveness Ventus, I don’t want it, and if you only gave it to me because you pitied me I’d kill you, here and now. I don’t care if it killed me to do it, I’d make sure you died.” Ventus is quiet for a long time, “is being pitied so bad?” Vanitas looks at him, “you really are dense, pity is poison, the minute you pity yourself, or the minute other people pity you you’re less than them. Any respect you get has to be torn from them if they pity you.” The two lay on opposite sides of the stained glass platform, in quiet, just watching each other.

 

*****

“How long do you think we’ve been here?” Ventus and Vanitas have finally reached a sort of truce. Ventus continued to pry small parts of the boy he was starting to think of as his brother more and more, a person that he was bound to, that he didn’t necessarily like, but who was more and more obviously his own person. The idea that they could truly become one at this point was doomed from the start. His own person that Xehanort had twisted, the worst thing is he couldn’t even say that for sure. Xehanort had never hurt Vanitas they way he had Ventus, and even then Ven could only remember the incident that birthed Vanitas. Still Xehanort couldn’t have been good for anyone predisposed towards aggression. Turning his anger and loneliness, something that Vanitas never admitted to but something that became glaringly obvious that he suffered from, got twisted into spite and envy and now Vanitas is emotionally stunted. Vanitas was effectively a child, while Ventus was impulsive and naive something he will readily admit, especially now, but Vanitas was mercurial, and explosive. However, Vanitas also seemed to regret his actions, and not just because he was trapped here, but because he seemed more lonely than ever, he seemed unable to get close to Ventus, but only because the two still didn’t really get along. They were just stuck with each other.

 

Vanitas told him about things that had supposedly happened when they were whole. Ventus couldn’t help but be dubious of most of Vanitas’ stories, he had a tendency to embellish but there were these rare moments where his stories would stop being a recitation of supposed facts and Vanitas would get this strange far away look, like he was desperately missing something.

 

*****

There was a time when the two were joined by someone, whoever’s heart it was they were much closer to the surface, and very bright, so bright in fact, Vanitas refused to check on who it was. “C’mon, I can’t leave the station, you’re going to have to.” Vanitas shook his head “don’t care, your light is familiar and it still cuts through me like a knife. I’m not dealing with that for some stranger. End of discussion.” Vanitas had offhandedly mentioned Ventus’ light being painful before, something that only hammered home how much more painful Vanitas’ loneliness must be. But that was the way with Vanitas, he never said anything directly, he almost always told the truth, but did so in a way that let other people’s assumptions do the lying for him. If Ventus called him on it, or made an observation that was too insightful Vanitas would clam up or intentionally mislead him in their next conversation. It turned into a series of factoids Ventus files away; recently he’s begun using Vanitas’ own roundabout methods of talking to build off each piece of knowledge, it’s become a sort of dance.

 

*****

Shortly after the new heart arrived they were torn apart. Darkness flooded into the station, the new heart escaped but Ventus and Vanitas were pulled apart, Vanitas screamed something that Ventus couldn’t hear over the roar of the Darkness as he flailed for Ventus. Then Darkness claimed them again.

 

*****

Vanitas w a ke s up in the void, after driving Sora’s heartless towards his friends and Kairi restored his form, Vanitas s i nk s back into the depths of his unconscious heart. Now however, he was alone, for days he raged, Tank Topplers and the Iron Imprisoner shades manifested and tore at the nothingness around them. Finally Vanitas made his way to the station of Sora’s heart, not Ventus’ Sora’s; Vanitas sat down tears pricking at his eyes while swarms of jellyshades appeared around him. Now he was truly alone, and he had no one to blame but himself, a nothing like him wasn’t even being allowed the comfort of oblivion. As Vanitas sank into a state of dormancy, not sleep, sort of a waking trance of despair, darkness congealing into the Wheel Master, but under his hands the darkness turns into something else, a small downy unversed…

 

*****

Ansem launches another volley of dark energy at Sora, Sora responds with a Strike Raid before running up to the Seeker of Darkness to bash him with the keyblade. Ansem’s guardian jumps between them, moving into a submission attack. Sora feels a strange nausea overcome him, there’s not enough recourse since Ansem moves into another series of charge attacks to prepare an ether. Trying to take advantage of the pause afterward, too late, Ansem’s right there preparing another attack, then something happens. Sora would swear up and down to Donald and Goofy that he’d been out of magic at the time, he couldn’t say where the surge of rage backed strength had come from. As Ansem drew back to finish the Keyblade warrior off Sora’s fatigue was dissipated, rage filling him from toe to crown, then he moves into an Ars Arcanum, and a Ragnarok the rage carries the battle jumping and rolling around the guardian to lay waste to Ansem. Whatever that burst of strength was, Sora would feel disturbed by it later.

 

*****

Sora climbs ever higher through halls of Castle Oblivion, the thirteenth floor, Larxene already faded into nothing. Wandering the halls Sora feels a tug at his heart something drives him, to a blank wall, it looked like a doorway had been meant to be installed, or was perhaps walled off. From it he feels an aura of menace, but some nostalgia keeps tugging at him. Shaking his head Sora moves back towards where he knew Naminé is being held, angry at himself for getting distracted as he walks away there was cold despair clutching at him. Rage towards Axel and Marluxia for keeping Naminé from him replaces it though.

 

*****

Marluxia, Sora feels undiluted rage and contempt for the pink haired man, for everything he put Naminé through. There’s something else, the echo of an echo, like an old betrayal that has long healed, more strange nostalgia.

 

*****

Sora sleeps, a year of sleep, while he does the darkness around the station of his heart brood, it’s a contemplating silence. Sora can almost make out something out there in the darkness, but not quite, after a while staying conscious even in the unconscious state was too much.

 

*****

The return to Sora’s heart had been sudden, and came from the sacrifice of two people Ventus could only see as close friends, having lived through Roxas’ friendship with Xion. Still something’s off, he looks around, no Vanitas, he hadn’t seen Vanitas since they’d been driven apart by Sora’s transformation into a heartless. He’d hoped that his dark half had managed to hold on within Sora’s heart. That it seems he hadn’t should have been for the best, Vanitas had helped Xehanort destroy he and his friend’s lives, and yet, Vanitas had also been a part of him, and like him he’d been a victim of Xehanort’s schemes.

 

Deep in the shadows between the Stations of Heart and the Realm of Darkness a presence waited planning…

 

*****

Riku dives into the depths of Sora’s sleeping heart, darkness seeping around the station, clinging to the surface. There’s more darkness in around the station, from within those menacing shadows something pushes the nightmare Xehanort unleashed on Sora’s heart into the armor, sacrificing the shell protecting Sora, but giving his friend a chance to destroy it.

 

*****

Riku walks the depths of Sora’s heart meeting with people, one he knew, one he mistook for Roxas, the last, she was familiar but; Riku can’t place where he’d seen or met her. From the shadows of the Secret Place a fourth presence watches, as soon as the hearts within Sora retreat into their own stations, and their own slumbers a final person speaks with Riku, they talk for a small time. Then Riku opens a gate to the outside, Sora having successfully awoken. The man stands there on the shore looking out over Destiny Island’s sea, the fourth presence walks up to Ansem, “could you have phrased that in a more obtuse way old man?” Ansem turns to face the boy, “and who are you?” The masked figure shrugged, “a shade, nothing more nothing less, and I asked you a question, what good is a clue that can’t be deciphered?” Ansem scrutinized him, “and why should I be inclined to answer one so clearly steeped in Darkness?” The boy turned around and walked away calling one last warning over his shoulder, “never mind, you aint the real thing anyway, just another projection. Just remember one thing illusion, you stand between me and my little pet project here, I’ll end you, and the data you have for Sora? That’ll die with you.” With that he disappears in a surge of darkness.


	2. Herculean Effort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The children of Darkness can be very snide indeed.

**75 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora sits in the cockpit of the Gummi Ship, looking over a diagnostic readout of the gummy ship; the angular sleek lines of the highest grade Falcon projected in front of him. _Stupid old man, not like_ _he_ _risked_ _his_ _li_ _f_ _e, and it’s not like_ _I wanted_ _to be kidnapped by Xehanort_. Sora shakes his head, the unwelcome thoughts had become more and more forceful recently. They’d always been there, the drive to push harder and more viciously when he and Riku sparred, the urge to sabotage Riku when they raced, a blood-lust that he’d engaged in, he’d ended each of the organization members, he hadn’t even thought about it, had he enjoyed it? Pummeling Demyx and the others into non-existence, but they weren’t really real, except they were, or they could have been. _There’s darkness in every heart,_ was there glee in that thought? Did he want darkness in his thoughts? The statement haunts him now. “Sora, you okay?” Goofy was looking worried, Donald annoyed, “no sad faces Sora, can’t run a ship on those.” Sora smiled, "sorry guys just thinking," _can’t be left alone to think without them chiming in_. The ship took off towards mount Olympus…

 

 

**76 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“You’re sure that this is what he’s looking for?” Xigbar asks the silent hooded figure in front of him who’s dismissing his keyblade in a puff of shadow. The figure turns and waves them off, “should be, but now I’ve done my part, you guys do the rest.” Xigbar pouts, “little shit, well I guess one unconscious child shouldn’t be a hassle, have at it wolf boy.” Saïx ignores Xigbar and hefts his weapon bringing it down on the energy protecting the now revealed door.

 

The empty halls of Castle Oblivion are silent and unsettling Lauriam makes his way swiftly towards the hidden chamber as quickly as he can so he can get out. Black coat draped over his arm. Then he hears it, someone walking towards him, Lauriam ducks into a nearby alcove and pushes himself against the wall. A hooded figure turns the corner, Lauriam gasps slightly, the emotion of fear, alien after so long coursing through him. The figure stops and Lauriam holds his breath. The figure stares intently at the alcove before shrugging, “heh, not my problem,” then he opens a dark corridor and walks through it. Lauriam lets out the breath he’d been holding once the corridor closes, panting with effort, it was like the organization member had been walking painfully slow on purpose. However Lauriam could hear the sound of battle coming from down the hall. He charges off in the direction of the sound.

 

The armor is deceptively fast, Xigbar tries to reload only for a group of flower bud looking constructs fly at him and begin firing bolts of energy. Saïx is having his own problems with the armor smashing into him with a keyblade in a series of very fast rapid thrusts and slashes. As soon as the flower buds disappeare Xigbar dashes behind Saïx and begins firing at the figure, it warps backwards then throws it’s keyblade, except it’s still attached to this thing’s hand via a long thorny vine. Once the two were beaten back it’s Keyblade turns into the warrior’s glider, and starts flying towards them. Saïx still exhausted from breaking the barrier can’t block the full force, his weapon disappears and he is pushed into Xigbar who has just enough time to open a dark corridor before they’re smeared against the wall.

 

Lauriam rounds the corner just in time to see two other Organization members disappear and his armor return to it’s stationary space. Looking around at the devastation Lauriam approaches his armor, “your service has been commendable but this is no longer a safe place, let us be whole.” With that the armor crumbles his remaining fragment of consciousness returning, completing him for the first time in centuries. After securing his pauldron he walks towards the sleeping Ventus, “this is no longer safe old friend, let us retreat to a new land.” Picking up the sleeping boy and drapping him in the black coat, Lauriam activates both their armor and leaves the room, and the castle behind, a bouquet of dried flowers falling to the ground.

 

 

**75 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora, Donald, and Goofy landed near the entrance to the coliseum it’s reconstruction is coming along extremely well, only the top portion is still damaged. “Heya Herc!” Sora smiles and greets, the huge hero indulges in a smile that could light up the mountain. “Sora, Donald, Goofy! What brings you back to Olympus?” Sora’s smile gets a bit more strained, “we’ve got kind of a situation going on. Mind if we talk somewhere?” Herc’s face gets a bit more serious, “sure, why don’t you guys spend the night here?” Despite his overly exaggerated peppiness Herc’s known Sora for long enough to know that this is too bubbly for him, almost like he’s compensating. “We’ll talk this evening I have to get back to helping get the last of the upper pavilion done today.

 

Sora spent most of the day helping transport masonry to the workmen and running tools to Hephastus. Sora and the taciturn smith god got along better than Hercules would have thought. Normally Hephastus doesn’t have much patience for small talk but Sora seems legitimately interested in the finer points of what he was doing and listens intently.

 

The evening was fairly nice, Megara helped Hestia get the last of the supplies for dinner up to the feast hall. “Well if it isn’t my junior heros.” _I’ve saved the multiverse twice now you short-_ Sora quickly cuts the thought off, “hey Phil how’s it going?” The pudgy satyr shrugs, “not much more than some basic games and training until the coliseum is completely fixed. Stupid Underdrome took a lot of business, apparently people really liked the extra violence of it all.” Phil eyes up the people meandering around, “still nicer to have the fairer sex not attached to Herc around the place.” He says with a leer, Sora chuckles nervously, _gross_ “Phil gross.” Phil just gives Sora a sort of mean smile, “that kid is why you’re still a junior in more than the heroic sense.” _Jerk_ , Sora’s fist clenches but he smiles anyway, “you do whatever Phil, but I’m gonna turn in.” Phil’s already stalking off though, the crowd before Sora finishes, and Sora walks out into the night breathing deeply the night air. _Why put up with them? Why seek the advice of people who can’t even imagine what you’ve seen?_ Sora stalks off towards his room only to see Meg wandering near the courtyard fountain.

 

“Hey there Sunshine,” she greets when she notices him. “Sunshine?” Sora asks, Meg turns and continues wandering the courtyard, “you think Wonderboy is the only one who deserves a nickname?” Sora frowns slightly, “dunno...” Meg swings herself up onto the pedestal of a statue, “what makes you say that?” She swings one leg over the other and puts her head in her hand and arcs an eyebrow. Sora smiles, “just some stuff that happened recently, it’s actually why I’m here, Yen Sid, my teacher suggested I talk to Herc about it.” Sora sighed and rubbed his arms like the air developed a chill, “I can’t tell you everything, but I found out that, well I guess it doesn’t matter how strong I am or how willing I am, I might end up a tool of Darkness. It made me ineligible to be a Master, Riku lost himself to Darkness and I guess he learned something about protecting himself from the Darkness, something I don’t know. Because he is a Master.”

 

Meg nods, “you know why I thought I could just march into the Underworld and chat with Hades when you found me?” Sora smiled, “Oh yeah, I just though you were super brave, and just didn’t know about the Heartless.”

 

Meg shakes her head, “no it’s because I used to work for Hades.” Sora whirls around shocked, “I promised him my soul, in exchange for the life of the guy I thought I loved. He left, and I was stuck indebted to Hades.” _That’s gratitude for you_ , Sora frowns, “what a jerk.” Meg smiles, “yep, but now I have a genuinely good guy at my back, and hey, while I’ll never call Hades a good guy, if you’re on his team he’s not a bad guy to work for. He could have collected on my bargain at anytime, he didn’t, not defending him though, he collected the minute it would get Herc where he wanted him.” Sora leans against a statue he didn’t recognize, a winged figure with great wings, short feathered hair, and a small pair of wings on either side of his head. “Why tell me this?” Meg smiles a small sad smile, “because I know how easy it can be to fall into Darkness for the right reasons, and I have seen that Darkness can be good, and used for good. If I hadn’t made that deal Herc wouldn’t be a hero and I wouldn’t have met him.” She looks up at the statue, “you know we have a name for Darkness here, two actually, they’re part or the oldest of our gods, they gave birth to many of the others. Nyx the night, and Erebos, the Darkness, Darkness is powerful, dangerous, and should be respected, you need to remember that. It’s a fundamental part of the universe, always remind yourself of that and who you are in that scheme and I’m sure you’ll do fine. You have a good heart kid, whatever thoughts you may have.” Meg gets up and makes her way back towards the party, “get some sleep, you’ll feel better.” Sora smiles and walks away, “thanks good night Meg.”

 

As soon as he’s out of ear shot she looks up at one of the statues, “Don’t twist him up too bad please, he’s a good kid, and the worlds don’t have enough of those.” A voice soft and fleeting as a dream upon waking, “he needs to know, he needs to carry the wisdom, but unless he grows the wisdom will destroy him, not me.”

 

 

**74 Days to Zero Hour**

 

After breakfast Sora’s walking towards Hephastus’ work station when Herc intercepts him. “Hey Sora, let’s walk a ways.” Sora’s not opposed but he knows he’s going to have to talk to Herc about what happened in the Realm of Sleep. “So what’s been going on?” Sora sighs, “about a month ago Riku and I took our Mark of Mastery Exam, he passed, I… Didn’t.” Hercules thinks for a moment, “that’s not it though is it?” Sora gives him a wry look, “I know you just get back up when you fail a test, how many tries did you need during Phil’s training?” Sora laughs, “thanks for reminding me.” Then he gets reserved again, it’s weird to see Sora that way, normally the boy is the most outgoing person out there. “I almost ended up possessed by the man responsible for everything that’s been going on. Maleficent’s involvement with Hades, the heartless overrunning the worlds, Xemnas and his Organization, all of it. It happened because I was charging after phantoms, dreams in the Darkness.”

 

They walk in silence for a moment before Hercules speaks, “it’s hard to tell what the right thing to do is, you know I had to choose between saving the Olympians and Meg? Heck, technically I broke a bargain with Hades-” Hercules’ story is cut off by an explosion, Hermes flies through the corridors, “The Heartless are attacking, there’s a horde across the whole of the mountain and in the city below!” Sora summons his keyblade, guess this talk’s going to have to wait, _saved by the implacable hordes_. Herc nods, “I’ll get Donald and Goofy we’ll meet you in the lower rotunda.” Sora nods and vaults himself out one of the windows, using aero to move from cloud to cloud sure enough there were heartless all over the lower levels of Olympus. Sora dive bombs into the middle of a large group combining his momentum with a fire spell to create a shock-wave of fire that engulfed most of the horde, the Minotaur shaped Heartless were singed and heavily damaged but not yet destroyed. Sora launched into them destroying them with a few quick well placed keyblade strikes, operating on muscle memory.

 

Sora slides in close to the last couple of Heartless and ends them by catching them in a combo and finishes them off. Looking over the edge there’s a tide racing up the side, Sora launches himself into the fray…

 

 

Making it into the rotunda Sora meets his friends, but still their work is cut out for them, the Minotaur Heartless start showing up with standard bearers that offer passive strength to the horde, and strange jellyfish like pure-bloods that cast magical torrents of water. Beating their way down the mountain using Valor mode, magic, and reactions with Herc, and it still just barely works. Then something happens, Sora is thrown from the mountain by a charging Heartless. Using aero and the last of his magic Sora catches himself while the Minotaur plummets to the ground dissolving into a wisp of darkness on impact. Sora pants hard, exhausted, _no abilities, no friend, no power, this is pathetic_. “No” Sora tries to ignore the thoughts, “my friends are with me in my heart, they’re my power,” but in the torrential rain now falling around him his voice sounds dull, muffled, and terribly, painfully, alone. _Powerless then, abandoned and alone, no friends to save you this time, no Riku, no King, no Herc, no Donald, no Goofy, no one, and the fight’s just starting_. Sora looks up to see the mountain top shift and reveal it’s self as the towering figure of the Rock Titan. In the storm are a number of silhouettes, more Heartless swarming around the Titan’s feet like an angry swarm of ants writhing as a single mass. Sora forces down his exhaustion induced nausea and hefts his keyblade only to be blindsided off the ledge.

 

 

 _Need more strength, need to survive, no friends, no power, no hope_ ; Sora grips his keyblade harder, “NO! My friends are always with me, they wouldn’t give up on me I can’t give up on them!” _And there are always new friends if you’re willing to look_. As though merely opening himself to it, pushing past the despair a surge of energy awakens in Sora’s limbs. He’s back up at the top of the ledge the image of himself free falling vanishing as he brings his keyblade down in a shock-wave that destroys the nearby heartless and leave glowing cracks in the Titan’s foot, the beast howls in rage and pain. Sora vaults into the air to avoid the foot as it comes crashing down, crushing a number of unlucky Heartless that didn’t get out of the way fast enough. At the height of his jump Sora channels a power, alien, but also familiar and launches a volley of ball lightening into the Titan’s other foot and several of the Heartless around it. _Suffer!_ The single thought is filled with absolute elation, elation that courses through Sora, he parries an attack as he lands, and counters into the injured foot of the Titan, Sora’s smile takes on an edge “pathetic!” Then realizing he said that thought out loud he pauses, “NO! That’s not me, that’s not who I am, I’m not a tool of Darkness!” Light engulfs him destroying several nearby heartless but also drawing the Titan’s gaze.

 

Sora realizing his mistake tries to move but can’t his limbs suddenly too heavy with fatigue when a violet mist engulfs the Titan’s two heads and pours down across the heartless, flowing around Sora, not touching him. As it clears the heartless are all asleep and fading back into darkness, the Titan yawns and it too falls over, curling up a few feet from Sora, fast asleep. “That was close, but it would seem I was on time, still you shouldn’t abandon your friends strength when in battle Sora, it was nearly your end.” Standing in front of Sora is a lanky man with short blond hair, and two sets of wings, one a standard flight set, the other on the sides of his head. He looks Sora over and makes a small annoyed sound, “tch, I would rather be giving this to you with your abilities intact, but I suppose I’ll have to make do with the ‘older wiser’ model.” Sora frowns, _who the hell do you think you are?_ “Who the heck are you?” The man looks at him and dusts himself off, “just a child of Darkness.” Sora hefts his keyblad, the man looks distinctly unimpressed. “I’m so far past your pay-grade kid, when I said child of Darkness I was being literal. Name’s Hypnos, son of Erebos and Nyx, brother of Thanatos.” Taking in Sora’s very confused expression, “dad’s Darkness, mom’s Night, bro’s Death.”

 

A few choice words and their general tone and meaning pops into Sora’s head like a less coherent string of errant thoughts, and he pales, “I didn’t even know I knew some of those words.” Hypnos looks mildly annoyed but seems to ignore Sora’s murmuring. “Besides, if you decide to attack me then I just wouldn’t give you this.” He snaps his fingers and a ceramic tube appears in a small puff of darkness, it has an odd symbol on the side, similar to the Nobody’s insignia but more like a heart. “And here I was asked to find a worthy wielder to give this too.” _I’ll show you worthy you smug ja-_ “What is it?” Sora asks and feels a twinge of annoyance and frustration. “Hmm? Oh, just a journal page that was left with us for safekeeping a while ago.” Sora, crosses his arms, “why would you need to guard a journal page?” Hypnos smiles and floats towards Sora, “because it’s almost two millennia old, it has knowledge from a time before the worlds were scattered, dangerous secrets from the age of fairy-tales. So lil’ buddy, think you’re ready for such things?” _The Keyblade War_ , Sora reaches out almost in a trance and takes the ceramic tube, “thanks.” Hypnos shrugs, “don’t thank me until you read it, it’s probably more responsibility and trouble than it’s worth. But the Exile who wrote it did us a service, and the memories of mortals may be short, but the progeny of Chaos remember our debts.” Then he turns to the sleeping Rock Titan, “alright nephew, lets go back to Grunkle Tartarus.” He snapped his fingers again and the world seemed to shift entirely as both the Titan and Hypnos twisted in a way that the mind could not process much less describe and they were gone.

 

Sora broke the seal on the ceramic tube and read the contents.

 

_"Exile’s Journal Entry 5_

 

_Following the rumors from that primitive world I found Skuld’s project. Nearly seventy two years after I made my choice. I haven’t aged a day, I understand, without that fundamental part of myself I barely exist, time holds no dominion over shells like us. I suppose one must have life to die, so it would seem that so long as I remain detached I can walk the worlds eternally, there are those who would kill for this, until of course they achieved it. Never knowing a bond, not allowing yourself passion, joy, anger, but knowing forever what those were. Why don’t I allow myself these indulgences? Perhaps my seal would remain affixed to Kingdom Hearts, perhaps the darklings would remain trapped, but if not then my selfishness would have doomed worlds. That is not something I will be responsible for._

 

_Skuld left us years ago, evidently to found a town, the similarity to Daybreak Town is enough to show her hand in it’s construction. She’s created a complex mechanism to determine it’s placement in the cosmology of worlds. It’s a safe-haven, it collects those who’s worlds have fallen to darkness and preserves them from the end. A town, so like her, keeping us alive through the endless battles with the Darkness in the wake of the War. I shall leave a page in the town she built, I hope that these pages lead a worthy apprentice to the last treasure I have left to offer the future. To whomever may find this journal, meet me in Traverse Town."_


	3. Those Who Ran

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and the gang stumble across a strange subculture in Traverse Town, and an enemy new to them.

**74 Days to Zero Hour**

Hercules is pleased to see Sora alive, Apollo is patching the kid up while several others are helping his companions load supplies on their vessel. “Sora, we gotta talk.” _Great, insult and injury_ , “yeah Herc, we do.” Hercules softens his expression “you did good out their Sora, better than most would. I’m not here to berate you, though for the sake of not giving your friends a heart attack please give some thought to the phrase ‘look before you leap.’ I’m here to tell you something important, it’s related to why you were sent here to me in the first place. I’m going to tell you how Megara made me a hero. Because it’s the most important lesson I learned.”

 

Sora swallows the snide response that pops into his head and nods. “I’d agreed to go to the Underworld in Meg’s place. That act made me a true hero and thus a god, but, in the end it was still breaking a God’s Contract. That kind of thing leaves marks. You know that’s why I’ve had to keep fighting, why Hades can keep unleashing whatever he wants on Olympus. Keeping it to the coliseum was a compromise with Zeus, that’s why I fight Sora, because my mistake makes it my responsibility, what makes you a hero isn’t being perfect, it’s taking the responsibility to fix your mistakes.”

 

Sora enters the ship good as new, a potion an ether and a demand he get a good night’s sleep later. “Sora, are you sure it’s a good idea to travel?” Sora gives Goofy a wane smile “I got a lead, and that lead is for Traverse Town, I say we hit the hotel when we get there.” Donald inputs the coordinates, “I’m getting room service then, I’m sick of cooking.” Sora shoots Goofy a mischievous grin, “Trust me Donald, we all are.” Donald stops, “you two don’t...” He turns around and sees the smart aleck look on Sora’s face and hits the take off button. Sora who’s not strapped in falls immediately to the floor. Donald chuckles as he turns back around. Sora drags himself into his chair, “nice to see your piloting skills, like your healing skills, are still on point.”

 

After they land in Traverse Town, the trio goes straight to the hotel, and Sora falls asleep as soon as his head hit’s the pillow…

 

 

**73 Days to Zero Hour**

Where Nothing Gathers two figures take their seats, “so, it’s all coming together, everyone is ready I presume?” Says the number four, the elderly number one looks at his accomplice, “yes, at the battle ground I will be able to rend time once more and gather all of us together. In a flash of darkness the seventh seat gains it’s occupant. “What of our thirteenth?” Xehanort smiles down at their newest. “He will play his part perfectly, Kingdom Hearts is within our grasp, and there’s nothing the supposed guardians of light can do.” Xigbar smiles up at Saïx, “oh yeah, you weren’t brought up to speed, Riku’s a balanced Key Master, he’s a guardian of light sure, but he’s not among them, too adept with the Darkness. The princesses were already gathered, their part in this is already played.” Saïx’s eyes narrow, Braig continues with glee, “think about our number three, ever see him wield a weapon? I bet if you think about it, you’ll come up with four from two and two.” Realization dawns in Saïx, “And that will come forward in time with him?” Xehanort nods, “indeed it will, and it ultimately doesn’t matter who wields it, Riku, his faulty doppelganger, or our third, it’s presence is assured, and thus, it’s role fulfilled.” Saïx nods, “shall I dispatch number five to test Sora?” Xehanort seems to think on this for a moment, “yes, that would be a good idea.”

 

 

**73 Days to Zero Hour**

Sora walks the deep dive, off in the distance he can see three faint lights, twinkling like stars, glass platforms barely silhouettes, almost completely obscured. Sora knows them, he can feel them, has always felt them. Scanning the void beyond the station though is something else, closer than any of the rest, a deep patch of darkness. “Who are you?” There’s something like a startled feeling, and… Fear? Apprehension? “I know you...” Then Sora hits’ the ground, apparently reaching for things in dreams means reaching off the bed in reality, “ugh, dreams keep getting me into trouble.” _Then stop following them idiot_ , Sora mentally berates himself, at least, it sounds like his thoughts. “Ugh, I need air,” Sora makes himself some coffee from the supplies Meg and Herc had given them when they left Olympus. He decides to sit outside on the alley facing balcony and watch the stars.

 

About half an hour later Sora hears a door below him close, he peeks over the side curious, what he sees shocks him. A group of Dusks and two Samurai Nobodies with bags of something moving down the alley. Sora watches them head towards the hidden entrance to the waterway. “Donald, Goofy, Nobodies!” He summons the keyblade and runs after the group leaving his friends to sleepily chase after him.

 

Entering the cave he sees… It’s almost like a small town, Samurai guards watching over the other nobodies, mostly Dusks and Creepers exchanging various items, there are Dancers there too, mingling, and a bulky Assassin running what looks like an accessory shop trading for synthesis materials. Startled by this Sora doesn’t notice a Creeper taking off, “ALARM! ALARM! INTRUDER! KEYBLADE!” Sora holds up the keyblade as the nobodies begin scattering leaving most of their stuff behind taking only what they can carry. A group of Samurai cut him off from the fleeing nobodies. A larger but more femininely shaped Samurai with a mask and armor turns to one of the Dancers, “Open a corridor, I’ll hold them off then be along.” The Dancer nods, “don’t die.”

 

All the Samurai draw their swords. “Leave here Keyblade warrior,” the masked on says. Sora’s face hardens and he assumes a battle stance; “and let you guys drive more heartless into the worlds, help Xehanort start his war?” Sora hefts his blade something inside him screams that this is wrong, “I don’t think so.” The Samurai lets out a soft sigh, “ignorant child.” Then she and the rest charge, they don’t move in the herky-jerky way the Samurai belonging to the Organization move, they act and move like a disciplined unit. Sora counters one and damages it only to have another move in with a series of well placed thrusts, Donald is already knocked out and Goofy is busy alternating with Sora to keep each other from getting stabbed in the back. Sora makes a single retaliatory strike when a beam of powerful light hits him in the chest and drives him back. The masked Samurai has another beam ready, “fallback!” She yells, launching the second beam, Sora blocks it and it soars back at her she steps back landing gracefully on one pointed foot. As soon as the last Samurai is out of sight up the stairs she puts her sword in the ground and vanishes in a flash of blinding light…

 

“Who?” Sora almost asks before following his heart, _‘may your heart be your guiding key,’ but, is it your heart you’re following?_ Sora reaches the top and summons the platform taking it up in time to see the last of the Nobodies disappearing into a corridor the masked on shoots one last look back at Sora, “San!” He yells without thinking, she pauses and stares at him through her mask, the corridor closes around her and the magician’s house is empty again.

 

After a couple hours of searching the house the three friends turn up nothing but dust, ash, and a few left behind synthesis ingredients. A soldier’s earring was left in the device, clearly finishing development. Sora takes it as a spoil, but is otherwise left to wonder what they were doing. A few notes left behind seemed to mostly be to do lists, notations on their days, like they were trying to build memories. _Hearts are born from memories, it’s why the Organization members were all on the cusp of becoming whole people_ , “until I messed it up.” He looks around and shivers a little, “Xemnas might have lied to them but I’m the one that struck them down.” Donald and Goofy had left to find more leads. “I heard that you found something interesting.” Sora sits bolt upright before turning, “Riku,” he says with a small fragile smile. “Sora, hey, what’s wrong.” Sora sniffs, “there were a bunch of Nobodies here, and I chased them off.” Riku looks confused, “isn’t that a good thing?” Sora shakes his head, “NO!” He practically wails, “they were trying to live normal lives, they were building memories! Becoming individuals! And I came in and ruined it just like I did to-” He cuts himself off, trying to contain himself, Riku didn’t need all this stuff heaped on him in addition to his upcoming journey into the Realm of Darkness. Riku puts his arms around Sora, “you know you did the right thing, right? Xemnas and the others had to be stopped.” Sora sniffles into Riku’s shoulder, “I should have seen it though, the way they talked, and acted, they had to have hearts.”

 

 _Take responsibility then_ , Sora stops bawling his tears just stop, “that’s what Hercules meant,” Riku looks at him. “I ended them when I shouldn’t have, a hero has to take responsibility for their mistakes.” _That’ll be an uphill battle_ , “it’ll be long, it’ll be difficult, but I’ll make it right. Everyone deserves a chance to be themselves, not a reflection of somebody else.” There was a stunned, and slightly sullen feeling inside him, _everyone?_ “Everyone?” Riku asked echoing Sora’s thoughts, Sora nods, “Yep, everyone.” Riku smiles, “that’s the Sora I know, I’m pretty sure if anyone knows how to wake them up, it’s you.” Sora takes a deep halting breath, “sorry to go to pieces on you.” Riku puts his hand on Sora’s shoulder and looks him in the eye, “Sora, it’s okay to rely on us, you can’t do it all alone, I learned that the hard way remember?” Sora smiles and nods.

 

“OH!” Sora calls, “Riku, we came here looking for a journal page.” Riku looks confused, “a journal, apparently it’s hundreds of years old. From the ‘time of Fairytales’ according to one of the gods on Olympus.” Riku considers this, “why don’t you ask the Gizmo Shop owner? It’s the oldest building in the town, Maleficent told me that back when we were working together.” Sora looks out across the water of the small lake outside. “You should probably get some sleep though, you look like a wreck.”

 

 

**72 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora awoke at half past noon the next day. He and the others first spent two hours eating and making sure that everything had been cleaned up and all leads on where the Nobodies had gone were exhausted. They found what looked like a clue, “dancing spirits in the sky, hearts wander when they die. Masterless and free, Kingdom Hearts has no dominion over thee.” Riku said that after they finished here he’d take the clue to Micky and Yen Sid to see if they could figure out what it meant.

 

After lunch they headed over to the Gizmo Shop, the shop owner was in a state of distress, “something wrong?” Sora asks, the owner jumps a little. “You? You’re the ones who saved the town from that giant heartless.” Sora smiled “yep, that’s us.” The owner seems to think on this for a minute, “you can go to other worlds right?” Riku immediately got suspicious, “yes...” The owner turns to him, “a valuable piece was left here, been here since the Gizmo Shop opened. A page, from a diary, some creep in a black coat stole it and fled through the Darkness.” Riku and Sora gasped, “Xehanort.” Then Sora rushed forward, “we’ll get it back!” The two left the shop only to see several heartless appear and then flee towards the back alley. Donald and Goofy ran through the door, “Sora, Riku, cut them off in the third district!” The two warriors of the keyblade nodded. Then ran the other way. From the rooftops number five smiled beneath their hood and walked towards the rooftop entrance to third district.

 

As soon as they hit the bottom of the steps in the third district a barrier closed around them. “What the,” then descending from the sky was a creature, almost like a Heartless but different, it was similar to the Opposite Armor variant but the face was all wrong. It had expression, not the blank features of the Heartless. Then they notice it, a strange symbol, not Nobody, not Heartless, not Nightmare; “ _Unversed”_ , comes unbidden to mind. “Have you fought one of these before?” Riku asks, Sora realizes he said the word out loud, he shakes his head and shouts “Look out!” The armored creature strikes.

 

Like the Opposite Armor it comes in parts, but with the head destroyed the other pieces continue to fight. The battle was difficult for Sora who’s abilities are still damaged by Xehanort. _Use fire on that part, it’s vulnerable to it_ , Sora didn’t know how he knew that but he tried it and the second part broke. Only for the third to come barreling into him, fleeing Riku, Sora didn’t have time to dodge, but suddenly he wasn’t there anymore, he was about a foot from where an after image of himself faded from existence. Riku leaps Sora does too and both of them took down the last part of the monster. As the pieces fade Sora’s overcome with intense pain like a cold spike going straight through his heart. Sora screams, and falls to his knees, Riku runs up to him concerned, he’s casting cure while he runs the spell dulls the pain but only slightly. The pain isn’t physical, he knows that much.

 

Number five of the true Organization caught his breath, ragged from pain that he had only started readjusting too. Then he let fly a paper airplane, Donald and Goofy left the Magician’s house, Riku and Sora having recovered enough to fight dispatch the creatures. “I’ve never seen a monster with that symbol, have you? You called it an ‘Unversed’.” Riku asks, but when he turns his head to face Sora he starts laughing. Sora frowns “what?” “Someone wants us to know something.” Riku responds plucking the paper airplane that had just lodged itself in Sora’s tallest spike of hair. There’s something tied to it. Donald made a “WAK!” sound of surprise, “A navigation Gummi!?” Riku hands the Gummi piece to the over excited water fowl. “Says here that the thief’s on a world called ‘Suburbia’.” Riku can’t keep the suspicion from his voice, “you think it’s a trap.” _It’s definitely a trap_ , Riku nods, “stay close if you guys are planning on chasing this lead.” Goofy salutes while Donald distracted by the new Gummi part is moving towards a point with which to get to their ship. “Sora’s not gonna shake us that easily!” Sora smiles, “you go see if you can find out about that monsters we’ll track down the thief!” Riku seems a little unconvinced, _you’re gonna have to turn your back sometime_ , Sora’s thoughts supply. Harsh as they are dang-it if they weren’t true, ever since the incident with Young Xehanort, Riku didn’t seem happy unless he knew where Sora was at all times. “All right Sora, but remember, call me if you need anything, your friends want to help you as much as you want to help us.” Sora smiles and nods, “you got it Riku.”

 

Number five smiles and opens a corridor, “good luck Sora.” Before he steps through it and it vanishes.

 

 

**71 Days to Zero Hour**

 

On an unknown world the sky is filled with dancing lights. “Everyone settle in all right?” San asks a Dancer identical to all the others save that it had a male figure, a unique hat, sleeve tattoos that look like the nothingness magic used by all nobodies, and one tear drop shaped aquamarine stone set into his neck. The Dancer shrugs, “as well as we can, I have a few of my forces in the forest starting some ghost stories among the populace. Hopefully they’ll avoid this part of the woods, at least until we decide on something more permanent.” San nods, “thank you for your report Hendrix, I’m going to seek the Astrologian, she may have advice on where to go from here.” Hendrix offers a shallow bow before skating off.

 

 

**71 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“He beat it, not like it’s surprising though, Riku was helping him through the fight.” Number five lounges in his seat looking satisfied. “You should really let me have more fun with him, between that seed of Darkness he’s nurturing and his temper I could probably have him hear like that.” Five snaps his fingers creating a small spark of darkness between them. Xehanort shakes his head, then casts forth a temporal ripple, each of the seats is occupied, one through thirteen, “Kingdom Hearts has already foreseen that he will join us. No one can escape the shackles of fate once they tighten. You of all people should know that.” Five doesn’t respond, but he sits up pensive.


	4. Teens in Toyland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, have some toys ya filthy animals :P

**71 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“Master Yen Sid, your majesty; I have some strange and disturbing news.” Riku says as he enters the top room of the Mysterious Tower. Yen Sid nods to Riku to continue, Mickey looks apprehensive, “first is a journal that Sora’s tracking across the worlds. A page seems to have been stolen and hidden on a world called Suburbia.” Yen Sid raises an eyebrow, “and what is so special about this journal?” Riku shrugs, “I’m not sure, Sora said it mentions a treasure from something called the ‘Age of Fairytales.’” Yen Sid nods, but that was not what drew you to Traverse Town initially true?” Riku smiles, “no sir, evidently there was a colony of nobodies on Traverse Town, they had created a civilization of a sort.” Yen Sid did not seem surprised by this, “we knew that there was no way to destroy every Nobody, that they should congregate in the absence of the Organization is only to be expected.” Riku sighs relived, “then this was foreseen? Should we still pursue them?” Yen Sid shakes his head, “not unless they make a nuisance of themselves. If that is all-” Riku clears his throat, “with all due respect sir there’s one other thing. Evidently a new form of monster has appeared in the worlds, neither Sora nor I recognized the emblem adorning them, but they are extremely dangerous. Sora says he doesn’t know what they are, but he did mention the name “Unversed.”

 

At this both Mickey and Yen Sid start, “Xehanort couldn’t have resurrected _Him_ could he?” Mickey asks Yen Sid, “Xehanort needs beings of darkness to house his heart. But his former apprentice was a heart of pure Darkness, how that would react to his attempts to house a fragment of his heart, I cannot say.” Riku interrupts them, “who are you talking about? Is a heart of Darkness even possible?” Mickey looks abashed, and then glances at Yen Sid, who nods. “Gosh, Riku, I’d hoped this particular matter had been put to bed.” He wrings his hands slightly, “remember when we told you about Xehanort’s original plan to control Kingdom Hearts?” Riku nods, “yeah, that’s when Aqua was lost to the Realm of Darkness right?” Mickey nods in affirmation, “well he didn’t act alone, he had an apprentice, a masked boy named Vanitas, this boy unleashed and commanded an army of monsters… The Unversed.” Riku flinches, “what happened to him? Could he be with Xehanort’s new Organization?” Mickey shakes his head, “I don’t know, I know that we defeated him when he possessed Ventus, one of the original three. Ventus’ heart was damaged by this.” Riku narrows his eyes, “do the Unversed have the ability to infect others with Darkness?” Mickey looks up at Riku and Yen Sid narrows his eyes, “why do you ask Riku?” Riku briefly considered lying to them, but that wouldn’t help Sora if he was being taken over by Xehanort with these Unversed. “Sora was in pain when we defeated it, I thought it was just an injury but I could be wrong. We’ve never faced something like these Unversed before.” Mickey smiles reassuringly, “I never heard of them doing something like that, so I don’t think that you’ll need to worry too much Riku, still if Vanitas is back we better make sure he stays far away from Sora unless he tries to possess someone again.”

 

Riku’s shocked, “can he do that? I thought that was only something Xehanort could do.” Mickey looks to Yen Sid, who nods. “Riku, any Keyblade Master can do it, placing a fragment of your heart in a vessel.” Riku looks horrified, so Mickey holds up his hands and explains frantically, “not the way Xehanort is using it, usually it was done to save their life in crisis, or let them offer advice after they’d passed on, or to let them guard something that needed to be protected. Xehanort has, like many things, twisted it towards his own ends.” Riku nods, “I understand, still, I don’t think I’d want to spend anytime as a disembodied heart, trapped somewhere else, even if it’s to save me.” Mickey smiles, “sure does sound awful, I’m guessing it was only used in truly dire straights.”

 

 

**71 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Young Xehanort, number twelve of the true organization is intercepted by their tenth member, the figure is fairly average, not as intimidating as most of the members. However, Xehanort knows this one is to be his escort for most missions, particularly those to prep the battleground and the true gathering. A smooth accented voice comes from beneath the robe, “I’m to be your escort for the majority of the day, pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Xehanort looks at him indifferently, “I know my role in this.” The figure surprisingly laughs, “just because the deck is stacked against us as individuals doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our fate as it comes. We know the outcome of this particular game, so there’s no reason not to enjoy the ride. For us it really is about the journey.” Young Xehanort is used to the other members ignoring him, save Braig and Xigbar who seem to enjoy attempting to needle him. This one however, his sentiments are real, the resignation to fate’s hands, and yet, he insist that they enjoy it. “What would you suggest?”

 

 

**70 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora steps out into… A giant’s bedroom, “whoa, this place is ginormous!” Sora immediately races forward with Donald and Goofy hanging back. “So are you Andy’s new toys?” Sora turns to find a cowboy staring at him, but the proportions are off. Then he notices his own joints, articulated like plastic. “Huh, I guess we are.” The cowboy looks relieved, “whew, I thought I might have another identity crisis action figure on my hands.” An astronaut action figure jumps off the bed doing a flip, “never going to let that go are you.” Sora watches them bicker for a few minutes before cutting in, “hey, um have either of you seen a person in a black coat around here?” The two look at him, “I haven’t heard anything like that, is he the one who left you here?” Sora hesitates, “uh, yeah something like that, sorry but we’re really trying to get where we belong.” Then a small plastic potato faced looking person walks up to them, “actually, Andy was talking to a silver haired kid when we were at the toy store earlier, he had a black coat on.” Sora stares hard at the small potato head, “where’s the toy store?” Donald and Goofy notice, his expression, it’s a dark one, the astronaut notices it too. “I can get you there, but if I do you have to tell me what you’re looking for there. After all, the world doesn’t know that we act of our own volition, that we have hearts like the people here. So you obviously can’t go attacking kids.” Sora looks at him, “I just want to make sure he’s not doing anything bad while we’re separated.”

 

The astronaut doesn’t look convinced but he holds out his hand anyway, “I’m Buzz, Buzz Lightyear,” Sora smiles his cheer returning, “I’m Sora!” He shakes Buzz’s hand, “alright Sora, lets get you back to where you belong.” Then taking a running start he uses a toy car track as a jump and get himself on top of the desk. Sora grins ear to ear and responds in kind, he uses the environment around him to scrounge up some Potions and an AP boost from various chests around the room, once he feels like he’s gotten a hang on navigating this much larger environment he drops next to Buzz, who jumps out the open window with a quick "cover for me" request to the rest of the group. Sora follows entering Wisdom form and using it to slide down the rain spout blue magic trailing in his wake. “Well these are new” Buzz says because blocking their path is a cadre of air soldiers accompanied by two large body heartless. “Dang, guess he’s been getting into trouble,” he summons his keyblade, “these are heartless, watch out or they’ll take you heart.” Buzz nods and readies himself to try and get past them. Sora launches forward, using blizzard to knock one of the air soldiers down before moving into a fire spell to catch it and the large bodies.

 

“Dang, sooner than I thought,” Sora says while launching a volley of magical bullets into the nearest air soldier while Goofy intercepts the large bodies it’s tricky but not impossible. Unfortunately a green requiem appears and suddenly the air soldier he’d torched was back in the air behind him. A bolt of light hits it between the wings and it dissolves. Buzz looks down at his wrist in surprise, “it works...” Sora just grins and shoots him a thumbs up while launching a blizzard at the requiem. Donald released from the drive form preps a cure to throw Goofy’s way and Sora throws a strike raid it finishes the requiem and cleaves one of the large body’s head in two, as the heartless dissolve their hearts released and floating a way Sora makes towards the edge of the yard. Only for a full battalion of shadows and soldiers to appear. “Crud, Sora thinks, trying to come up with a way to stop the heartless. Luckily something happens, a light fills Sora’s heart and he launches into a series of attacks, aided by wind magic, something that Sora’s only had a tertiary grasp of. Then using the cyclone’s power before it fades he uses another raid to down the last air soldiers, while his friends take out the large bodies. After that mopping up the rest was easy.

 

“That was something, you said those things are heartless?” Sora nods, “yeah, the kid I’m tracking is working with a bunch of guys who are trying to release those things on the world.” Buzz nods, but this kid he’s Andy's age?” Sora nods, “then it’s your job to try and turn him away from that.” Sora is taken aback, “we’re toys, our hearts are built from the bonds we form with the children who buy us. If you see your child going down a dark path it’s up to you to help them, sometimes we’re all they have.” Sora wants to shout that Xehanort’s too far gone, that nothing he does will stop what he becomes, but, what does he become? Sora’s heard of Master Xehanort, but never met him, and even so, are they really the same person? What if this young Xehanort is only following orders because he thinks that’s what he’s destined to be?

 

 

**71 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Young Xehanort and number ten exit the portal in Radiant Garden, “look at how they’ve repaired so much in such a short time. If this place remains untouched by our keyblade war I wonder how long it will be before it’s complete. Though more likely the war will consume this place, I wonder what it will look like then.” Xehanort looks out across the square, “it doesn’t matter does it?” Ten shrugs, “well we only know what we’ll start, not how it’ll end, isn’t that the point of your other self’s endeavor?” Xehanort looks up at ten, “our,” the hooded head cocks to the side in the universal expression of confusion, “hmm?” Xehanort’s stare remains flat, “our other self, you’re one of us too right?” Ten takes a moment then starts laughing, “yes I suppose so, I guess in that case, I forgot myself.” The response is unexpected enough that Xehanort laughs a little despite himself.

 

 

**70 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Donald is screaming his warbling scream that expresses fear, surprise, and general dissatisfaction for the situation. Sora however thinks that hopping cars as a toy is some of the most fun he’s had in a while. Donald and Goofy don’t seem to agree and Buzz is too focused on fighting off the heartless. Most of the air variants can’t keep up with the pace of the cars. The exception being air pirates, green requiems, and the creeper plants that anchor themselves to the car roofs. There are also a few heartless gummies that pop up only to get taken down by some well placed strikes and thundera spells. Still the numbers here are a touch overwhelming. Further a sillouhette keeps darkening the horizon. Sora readies his keyblade for the confrontation.

 

**71 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Xehanort finishes the tea cake he and their tenth bought, “as good as this was I fear I must return to the husk of the World the Never Was. I do have a mission to attend too tomorrow, further I don’t think you want a mere adolescent to tag along for your reunion.” The hooded figure rubs the back of his head, “you got me, go, get ready for your mission, but you know we’re doing this again sometime before the war right?” Xehanort nods summoning a corridor, “I look forward to it Luxord,” he says before stepping into it’s swirling depths.

 

Luxord pulls his hood down exposing his short blond hair and pierced ears, “nothing for it I suppose,” he looks towards the remains of the castle. “He’s gonna chew me out for procrastinating on this, much less over the whole ‘starting a war thing.’” His smile says that he knows something the rest of the world doesn’t, “not in your nature to hold back, wasn’t that what you said the last time I saw you?”

 

 

**70 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora was blown back trying to avoid the flurry of lasers, as soon as the SUV they were riding parked the hunter heartless descended from the sky. “Ugh, I never want to fight one of these without the gummi ship ever again.” Rings of energy pepper the roof of the car, Sora reaches into himself searching for the light that he’d found earlier. _Ventus_ , the word reaches his conscious mind and suddenly he’s flying via an aeroga spell, “Goofy, deflect it’s shots! Buzz, Donald lay suppressing fire!” He doesn’t know where these orders come from but there’s something familiar, a deep set of veterans instincts.

 

 _From what? I’ve never fought a real war, other than Maleficent’s horde back on Hollow Bastion._ Sora can’t spend too much time on thinking this through. He plunges his keyblad into the heartless' cone shaped main body the arms lock and it starts spinning violently to shake him loose but a thundara spell stops that, Sora feels the excess electricity course through him. He swings up onto the things head, “I never, want to fight one of you on foot again!” He shouts laying into it with an Ars Arcanum and into a Ragnerok, finishing it with a firaga spell, one that Sora shudders when he realizes is amped up on Darkness. The hunter begins exploding as it falls to the ground it’s body breaking apart and a single giant heart floats into the sky. Sora looks down to see a special gummi block and an elixir dropped by their foe. “I hope that was the boss of these heartless, I’m beat.” Sticking the elixir into his pack he uses a mega potion and an ether, all right, lets go see what Xehanort is up to in there.

 

Sora enters the toy store in the shoppers appear to be leaving, finally a chime echoes, “the mall is now closed.” Sora lets out a disappointed groan as he enters the central rotunda, “aw man, did we miss him?” A voice to his left stops him short, “so you’ve arrived,” sitting on one of the shelves legs kicking slightly as though bored of waiting is Xehanort’s younger self. “I’ve been waiting, though, I’m not sure why, you’re a bit too… reduced to be useful here.” Sora glares at him and summons the keyblade, “I’ll show you reduced you overfull bag of old gym socks!” He charges Xehanort who simply hops down from the shelf in time to kick Sora’s diminutive form across the rotunda, he makes a strange face. “That, was oddly satisfying,” Xehanort looks pensive, “I wonder if this is how he felt when he broke Terra’s will?” Then shrugging he turns back to Sora who’s staggering to his feet using the keyblade as a crutch.

 

“Why are you even here?” Sora shouts; Xehanort stares down at him and Sora feels six inches tall, which he is, but that’s beside the point. “We are examining how hearts connect in this world. Look around you, the toys here have the foundations of a heart, but until they are purchased, played with, enjoyed, and loved by a child, they are merely inert vessels.” Then he smiles a cold, calculating smile, “vessels awaiting something to fill them.” Waving his hand in the air a massive storm of shadowy fog appears above his head, lights twinkling in the smoggy blackness, then Sora realizes in horror, not lights, eyes, it’s a horde of possessor heartless! Before he can react Xehanort gives a signal and each of the heartless surges towards the boxed toys. One tries for Buzz only for a flash of light to repel it. “I’ve seen Andy through a lot, good, and bad, don’t worry about me.” Sora nods and casts cure on himself. “Fascinating I think a sample to bring back would be most useful,” Xehanort moves towards Buzz, but is struck in the face by a bolt of light. Buzz lowers his wrist laser, “back off kiddo, I don’t want to hurt you but you aren’t the first bully I’ve dealt with.” Xehanort’s face twists in pain and anger, “fine then, TEAR THEM APART.” He shouts to the boxed toys that spring to life and rush towards the party. Xehanort departs through a dark corridor.

 

The army of possessed toys lunges forward, a horde of potential childhood memories twisted into grim parodies. All clamoring for the hearts they do not have, “GIVE ME STRENGTH!” Sora enters valor forms stringing a series of combos together, one after the other the dolls crumble, or the possessors are released, but still they come. “Aw man, there’s just no end to them.” Sora dodges and weaves through them, valor wears off, still the friends fight. Sora uses the keyblade on one of the large robot toys, releasing the possessor and freeing up the cockpit, he enters the machine, unleashing torrents of missiles and lasers at the heartless in front of him. The fight has made an object of play into an object of war, eventually though even this weapon is overwhelmed, two other possessed mechs break open the front and the arms are ruined by the heartless controlled machines, Sora barely makes it out before the mech explodes.

 

“Someone HELP!” _Think you can handle that kind of power? You tried it once but there are others here now, others to judge, and condemn you._ “Is this the choice Riku had to make? It doesn’t matter I can’t let my friends down!” Sora holds up the keyblade, “POWER!” The blade shifts briefly where the Kingdom Key was is instead a blade that radiates menace, all metal, chains, and darkness. Plunging the keyblade into the ground a tide of dark empowered wind overcomes the heartless possessed toys, the parts fall to the ground and Sora sinks to his knees exhausted. “Ouch...” Donald and Goofy approach hesitantly, they jump in surprise when someone starts clapping.

 

At the entrance to the rotunda is a black cloaked person, applauding their victory. Sora stand with shaking legs, the figure just holds up his hand in a gesture of pause reaches into his pocket and rolls a messenger’s tube at the friends. Sora looks up at him, “why? Why give it to us? Why steal it in the first place?” The figure just shrugs before backing into an open corridor and disappearing. Sora opens the tube and pulls out the aged paper inside.

 

 

_Journal 6_

_Traverse Town, haven for the lost and desperate, am I either of these things? I shall have hidden my final page, and with it the location of the last treasure of the Keyblad War on another world. I have written of my encounters here, the Children of Night and Darkness, with them is the key to this place. And here I hide my journey's start. But something distrubing has happened, a Keyblade Master, consumed by what was surely lust for Kingdom Hearts broke my seal. I can feel my heart, freed from that prison, drifting through the fringes. I cannot allow myself rebirth though. For I know not what that would create. If that should destroy me before all things are set into place. No I must first finish what I began._

 

_Heed my words whomsoever finds this journal. The thirteen dark shards are gathering, the seven lights will reveal themselves in turn. This depraved Master will surely have anticipated this. I fear that these pages may find their way into his hands._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way that moment earlier in the fight was inspired by this http://destiny-islanders.tumblr.com/post/163032770502/of-course-this-is-the-first-idea-that-popped-into
> 
> Because Destiny-islanders' tumblr is amazing, yo go visit do it now! http://destiny-islanders.tumblr.com/


	5. Gleaming Blossom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which; holy fuck I did not intend to write Lauriam as this much of a stone cold bastard but I'm actually way okay with it.

**70 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Young Xehanort stalks out of the portal snarling under his breath and holding the injured part of his face. “Ha ha, Sunshine really gave you what for huh?” A hooded figure mocks before really looking at the red-faced master to be holding one hand over his eye, “HA! Did he give you a shiner too?!” Xehanort turns away, “oh don’t be like that Gramps, c’mere” number five already has his hands on Xehanort’s wrists, Xehanort tries to pull away but the other’s grip is powerful, “just a burn, here.” The cool touch of a dark cure spell washes over him where five’s hand touches just below his eye, the burn heals. “See, no need to be such a big baby.” Xehanort touches his own face inspecting the healing, “why?” Five stops in the middle of turning away, “hmm?” Xehanort looks up at him the stare is too heated, too emotional, not callused by the long years that’ll turn him into the evil old man. “Why help me? I know what I’m destined to do to you. What I will bring upon you to get you here to this place.” The other shrugs, “maybe I just feel like sucking up to the old man without having to do it to his face.” Then he walks away leaving Xehanort alone and confused.

 

 

**70 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora brings the page back to the Gizmo shop, “sorry it took so long, we ran into some heartless flavored trouble.” The owner waves them off looking fondly at the page, returned to the safety of it’s case, “that’s perfectly fine, thank you so much for returning it, I’ve arranged for you to have rooms at the hotel, and I’ve prepared an emergency kit of items that everyone here hopes you’ll find useful, thank you Sora, you’ve continued to be a beacon for everyone here.” Sora smiles but it’s forced, Donald and Goofy haven’t said anything about the dark wind that swept across the field but everyone felt the taint of Darkness…

 

 

**71 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Destiny Islands, a world filled with light, once cast into Darkness, returned to it’s former glory, Lauriam exits a corridor, his two Holy Knights escorting him. “I am a centuries old Keyblade master you know, I don’t need a babysitter.” Despite the words Lauriam has a fond smile on his lips. “Forgive us master, but you were destroyed while we fled, we shall not lose you again.” Lauriam laughs, “so long as you make yourselves scarce, I think the Marquis would like their reunion uninterrupted.” They walk down towards the beach where the majority of shops are located.

 

“Come back here, or your fired!” Yells a very angry voice but this is followed by a shrill haughty laugh, “hell no you sack of worthless bile, it’s all nag nag nag with you! And you’re too stupid to get my name right, I’m done being owned by you, by this job and by the worthless shit-stain customers you insist on placating.” There’s a pause, Lauriam smiles his fond smile “three,” the formerly angry voice is dangerously quiet now, “what did you just say to me you-,” there’s a crash. “Two,” the higher female voice is also dangerously low, but her words are still easily discernible, “I warned you, we were through, that was your choice; now this is mine.” “One” Lauriam’s smile only grows as the air fills with ozone and the first voice screams in agony. The double doors of one of the cafes are thrown open and a blond girl with two bouncing hair-antenna patting out a small fire on her shoulder exits. She rips a mostly melted name badge off her shirt. “Oh by the way, it’s Larxene, and I quit.” She tosses the badge over her shoulder, her tone one of complete disdain.

 

Unable to resist anymore Lauriam starts laughing, “making friends and influencing people wherever you go still.” She rounds on him, her face going from rage to shock to a strange mixture of shame, and fragile hope, “I gather that you prefer your previous name? Not surprising if I may.” Larxene charges into him, “shut up Marluxia!” Lauriam hugs her back but his face falls, “I’m afraid it’s Lauriam now, that particular name still has much to do.” She smiles at him all frailty replaced with mischief, “ever the ambitious schemer, I hope this plan works better than your last one.” Lauriam looks affronted, “I should hope so! I’ve had centuries to perfect it.” He holds out his arm as several Thief nobodies appear around them celebrating the return of the Savage Nymph. “Shall we grab your coat and away through our dark corridor? It may have been a while since I was last here, but I believe assault is still illegal on this world.” Larxene tuts, “that was animal cruelty at worst, personally I call it taking out the trash.” Lauriam laughs, “the law may feel different, but what are we if not partners in crime?”

 

 

**69 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora walks into the study of Master Yen Sid, “you summoned us sir?” Yen Sid nods, “there is something I would like to ask of you, I know you search for the pages of the journal, but I would consider it a favor.” Sora nods, and smiles, “sure thing, but when we get back I would like to ask you something,” _we have a right to know_ he doesn’t say. Yen Sid crosses his arms like he was intrigued but wary of this turn of events. “In addition to this request I would like you to take Lea, he has yet to develop a style of wielding the keyblade, and his unfamiliarity with the weapon worries me. This will just be a simple pick up mission, so you shouldn’t face anything more serious than an advanced heartless.” Sora nods, “alright, what are we picking up?” Yen Sid smiles, “a flower, it was grown with a power lost to this world, a power of pure light, it has the ability to rejuvenate anything and amplifies magic a hundred fold.” Sora crosses his arms and makes an expression of understanding, “sounds important, and like something Xehanort shouldn’t be allowed to get a hold of.”

 

Yen Sid snaps his finger and Lea appears in the middle of the chamber, only to fall over, no longer having a door to lean against. “Eavesdropping is a poor habit to make Lea.” Lea sheepishly smiles, “can’t get anything past you, that said, hiya Sora, I’m so very ready to get out of here, please and thank you.” Sora sighs, “you never change, let’s go Axel,” the face he has when he says the blatantly incorrect name has Lea rolling his eyes, “yuck yuck, laugh it up, I’ll be more than ready to show you up anytime anywhere.”

 

 

**69 Days to Zero Hour**

 

A portal opens, several Holy Knights exit followed by Lauriam clad fully in his armor, “I wonder if the old sorceress has kept her promise, or that she’ll be willing to give back what she was made steward of.” He looks over the valley eyes falling on the single overgrown tower in the middle of everything, he summons his keyblade, “it doesn’t matter I suppose.” A crash echoes from across the valley, “such a racket, let’s move.” The Knights follow their master down into the ravine.

 

 

**69 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“You are a worse driver than Sora, you are _NEVER_ getting the controls again.” Donald shrieks at Lea, “yeah, yeah, sorry again, and again, I’ll take the corridors home.” Sora turns to them, “don’t be like that Lea, you shouldn’t rely on them, and Donald, what do you mean ‘worse’ driver than me, I took down the Dreadnaught and several nobody cruisers, not to mention Xemnas’ dragon.” Lea lets out a low whistle, “I bet if Xemnas had a heart he’d of had a heart attack, he loved those things.” He pauses, “as much as he’s capable of loving something.” Sora turns around heaving a put upon sigh. “Right then, lets see if we can find anything.”

 

Lea hops over to a ledge, “I saw a tower before we crashed, I’ll got check it out, report back in a jiffy!” Lea’s over the edge and sliding down the ravine towards a game trail before Sora can do anything. “Dangit, doesn’t he know he’s not the Organization’s wet works operative anymore?” Goofy gives Sora a look, “Sora, where did you learn that term?” Sora pauses, _where did I learn that?_ There’s an echo of half remembered mean spirited laughter in his head.

 

 

**69 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“Sorry for ditching you guys, but I work faster and better on my own.” Lea stops short of the Tower’s outer grounds a guy in full knightly regalia is marching up to the gate purposefully. “Hey! You, seen a magic flower around here?” He’s all brash confidence, sure he wont go as far as he’s used to but that doesn’t mean he can’t rough the guy up a little. The knight turns to face him, “tch, figures, cockroaches are the most tenacious animals, and what pray tell is Saïx’s attack dog doing all the way out here?” Lea’s eyes narrow, the voice is distorted by the armor but there’s something familiar to it, a honey sweetened poison. He summons his keyblade, “all right, now I really don’t feel like playing nice.” The armored figure is visibly startled by the keyblade, but he relaxes into a battle stance, “no accounting for taste I suppose.” Lea looks at his keyblade, “I like it,” the figure scoffs, “I was talking to the keyblade cockroach.” Then he summons his own keyblade, “lets see what a _neophyte_ like you can do.” He draws out the word ‘neophyte’ with clear sadistic glee. Lea charges.

 

 

**69 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora with a party behind him makes his way down the longer but safer trail. “I’m gonna tattle on Lea so hard when we get back. Yen Sid will have him cleaning the tower for a month!” Then he turns to shout, “hear that Lea, a MONTH!” Goofy stutters, “u-uh, Sora, I don’t think he can hear you, but they sure did!” several creeper plants and a new breed of heartless shaped like a puffy dandelions appear. “Good, now I have something to hit.” Sora moves in with a series of complex and brutal slashes, the heartless dissolves only to release half a dozen smaller heartless like dandelion seeds. “Nice one Sora,” Donald grouses before Goofy flails back “guys, there’s more!” Three new enemies appear, unlike the heartless they are unified in theme, but not identical. “Nobodies,” but not a breed Sora has encountered, these have a shape like flowers, and each carries a small scythe. The appearance of these however remind Sora of one nobody, one member of Organization XIII that he can only remember with hate, pure and undiluted. His face twists into a snarl, “Marluxia,” he growls, that seed of darkness planted over a year ago sprouts, Sora enters drive and instead of getting Valor or Wisdom, he’s overcome by darkness snarling and hissing he rips the heartless apart.

 

Moving on to the nobodies, his claws rip into their insubstantial forms as easily as his keyblade, Sora gets ready to finish off the first of them when the leader of the group intercepts him, being severely wounded by his finisher, but that’s when he sees it. A real face hidden by it’s hood, until the flash of claw on ephemera, eyes startlingly human and filled with desperation. Sora sees a flash of something, blue eyes set in a much younger face leaping between him and another enemy, but the hair, the light pink hair hammers home who he was watching. Antiform shatters, and the nobodies escape as Sora’s focus breaks with his dark empowered alternate form. _Why? Why did I see Marluxia saving me? Those, those weren’t my memories._

 

 

**69 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Lea is panting, he’s switched back to his chakrams, the weapon he’s more familiar with. His opponent seems none the worse for wear. “That voice, that damn snotty attitude, it all seemed familiar, but it’s your style, your holier than thou fighting style, like looking pretty is the only part about this fight that’s worth a damn. Marluxia, you snake, I should have guessed, but you’re not ‘Marluxia’ anymore are you? No Sora took care of that. I guess your plans fell apart, no more title, no more castle, no more Larxene-” Lauriam snaps his fingers and a blade pierces Lea’s back, one of Marluxia’s knights had gotten into position to sneak attack him while he was distracted fighting. Lauriam moves in fast, elegant and deadly, “I’m on a deadline, and you’re still useful against Xehanort, so you get to walk away from this fight. However, given the choice, I would kill you right here, right now Axle, or whatever you’re calling yourself and I can.” He leans in, almost seductively whispering the next part, “because I have almost a millennium of experience on you. Never forget that, you live today at my behest, I’m better than you, in skill and ethics, because I never truly swore loyalty to Xemnas, you are more a traitor and a hypocrite than I will ever be.”

 

Lea’s consciousness fades, Lauriam lets him fall to the ground and makes a noise of contempt. He waves a hand over the body channeling just enough healing magic to keep him alive. “Let’s move, I doubt he came without back up. Then turning he enters the tower.

 

 

**69 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora recovers enough to move, he’s charging through the forest, _Lea can take care of himself_ , he hopes _but if he gets ambushed by those nobodies… No can’t think that way_. A mantra Sora repeats to himself until he breaks cover in a clearing at the base of the tower, and there’s Lea face down in the dirt. Panic sweeps through Sora, “no, this can’t be happening.” He runs over, then remembering the last time something like this happens he takes a breath and finds Lea’s pulse, slightly erratic but present. Sora lets out the breath he was holding. “Donald, try and get him back to health, he’s looking pretty beat-up, Goofy, we need to get that flower, I think one of Xehanort’s flunkies is here. Goofy nods and together they make their way towards the tower.

 

 

**69 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Lauriam enters the top chamber of the tower only to nearly be hit with a frying pan, his instincts still sharp on adrenaline from the previous battle allows him to easily deflect and disarm his would-be attacker. “I mean you no harm, I’m simply here to retrieve a piece of lost property.” The woman pulls back as soon as he lets her go, “I don’t know anything about ‘property’ I’m just here to clean the place out.” She has short brown hair a purple dress, woven in a manner so as to allow freedom of movement, a sign of noble birth but also traveling clothes, _interesting_. “My apologies, I lent a creation of mine to the sorceress that lived here, I was hoping to get her to return it.” The woman shrinks a little and an angry lizard hisses at Lauriam, clearly upset at its master’s distress. “I can’t help you, she’s… gone.” Lauriam knows that look, he’s had to break enough bad news in his life, “I see, perhaps you can help me, I gave her stewardship of a very important flower. Grown in purest light it’s magic is that of a bygone era, and a memento of my departed sister.” The woman tenses, then her eyes narrow, “who are you?”

 

Lauriam removes his helmet, “just a wandering Exile I’m afraid. You know something don’t you?” He knows his face belies danger, she clearly sees it. “The flower’s gone, and sorry if it was that important to you, but good riddance, it’s power might have saved two people I care about, but it’s also responsible for everything bad in my life.” Lauriam’s face enters a stony silence, he replaces his helmet with it’s cloudy glass mask, tears pricking at his eyes, t _wice I’ve failed her, once to save her, now I fail her memory_. “I see, I’m sorry that it’s brought you such hardship, I had hoped… No, what I intended is of no consequence.” He turns to leave, “how old are you? She’d kept that thing going for over a hundred years.” Lauriam doesn’t seem to notice the question, for a while he seems a statue, and the woman can’t help but worry that this sad man has also turned to dust. “I’m not so sure anymore,” the answer startles her almost as much as the door slamming open and a teenage boy charging through.

 

“So Xehanort did send someone,” the knight before Sora rights himself, “I would never stoop to working for that man.” Then he summons his a keyblade, “leave me be little keybearer, I’ve already had to teach one uppity apprentice a lesson. Do not make it two.” Sora sees red, “you hurt Lea?!” He charges the knight, the two exchange blows, the knight’s a more skilled warrior and there's no room to maneuver. His technique can’t help but remind Sora of the Lingering Will. “Such passion to protect him, I remember a time when you had turned that same passion to his destruction. Are you truly so fickle?” Sora stops short and the man sends him flying with a burst of wind magic. Already he’s leaving through a portal, “wait!” Sora shouts, but he’s already gone, the corridor closing.

 

The woman comes out from behind a dresser, “can someone PLEASE, tell me what that was about?” Sora flinches, “uh, sorry, I’m not so sure myself, but that guy hurt a friend of mine.” She sighs, “the red-head by the gate?” Sora nods, “hate to break it to you kid but I was watching from here, your friend attacked first.” Sora groans, “Lea, why do you drag me into these things?” Then he notices it, by his foot, another cylinder, the man must have dropped it, Sora pulls out the one Hypnos gave him. “Oh, are those yours?” Sora shakes his head, “no, but I’m collecting them, whoever wrote them’s probably long dead, the people I’ve found with them said they’d been there for at least a century.” The woman makes a small, “hmm,” sound “that man said something about giving the person who used to live here a flower, but that would have happened a century or so ago so I’m not too sure.” Then she smacks her head, “I’m Rapunzel by the way, and the woman who used to live here was a witch who’d kept herself young by magic so it might not be so far fetched that the author’s still alive. Anyway, there’s actually another tube like that here somewhere.” Sora looks at her, “really!” She nods, “yep, and since I’m supposed to be cleaning it out anyway, you can have it if you want.”

 

Sora spends the rest of the day helping Rapunzel clean out the tower as thanks for the new Journal pages.

 

 

**69 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Lauriam retreats to his personal chambers, shedding his armor, and closing the door behind him, Larxene is settling in with the denizens well, apparently she’s taken it upon herself to whip them into shape. Lauriam collapses at his desk in the dull crystal born light of his chambers, a sob wracks his body, and for the first time in years he cries for her. Lauriam cries among the blooming birds of paradise.

 

 

**68 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stand before Yen Sid, they’d just finished their reports. Yen Sid sighs, “I had hoped training under Riku alongside Kairi had taught that young man some restraint. Thank you for bringing him back to us, though the appearance of an old master, one I do not recognize troubles me, as does the loss of the flower.” Sora clears his throat, “Master Yen Sid, sir, about the matter I wished to ask you?” Yen Sid merely nods for Sora to continue, “master, what was the ‘Keyblade War?’” Yen Sid slams his hands down on the table causing all three to jump, “absolutely not! You are forbidden from pursuing that knowledge! There are things from our past that should stay forgotten!” All three of them, visibly shaken, step back, Yen Sid seeing this sags a bit, his age fully etched into his features, “I’m sorry but I must ask that you leave. I am weary and need rest.” Sora nods and he Donald and Goofy leave the tower for their rooms in the lower floors. Sora opens up his two new pages:

 

_Exile’s Journal 1_

_As I walk away from the Graveyard, that broken world born from war, I think about the last treasure I have left to me. The Lux, that ancient substance the Master used to forge Keyblades, and push back the Darkness. To think the pursuit of it brought fourth Kingdom Hearts it’s self, so great that such a monumental achievement would destroy those who sought it, and most of the world it remains the heart of. I hate that moon, I hate Kingdom Hearts, I’ve already contacted Ephemer, I will seal Kingdom Hearts, I will stop it’s power from calling the darklings, and I will keep it and this world away from those who would seek this power. No matter how noble one’s intentions, desiring Kingdom Hearts can only lead to madness._

 

_I pray whoever finds my last store of Lux is more responsible than we were. I hope they do not abuse it, or seek more of it. But it is left to those priests and their prophecy of Light. I regret that to never see the friends I’ve made over these long years fighting._

 

_Journal 4_

_This world is strange to me, a world that sank during the war, kept in stasis by a crystal. I’ve requested a chance to see this crystal, the Blind King denied me. At least until some Heartless attacked, the monsters I’ve tracked manifested in the dark of the sea bottom. There are things in the depths of the world, things that can only enhance the Heartless things that can become Heartless and the rampages that those nameless horrors would unleash would be truly terrible._

 

_After destroying them he and several guards escorted me to the crystal chamber, and it was something truly magnificent, and utterly unique to this world. A physical manifestation of the world’s heart, and all the power there in. If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t believe it. I used my vow to seal the stones of their ancestors around it, they will act as lock, door, and guardian, no one, even one of the Keybearers should have access to this kind of temptation._

 

_To think I spent a century contemplating this place and the people here, as ageless as I. Due to the proximity of their world’s heart no doubt. It’s light subsumes me, it was not unpleasant, but I have spent too long here. I shall move on to a new world, a world where the people are not so advanced, or perhaps, a world where there are nearly no people. I know just the place. The Forest of Dancing Lights, the hearts on that world remain, they do not join kingdom hearts, it will be the perfect place to lay low for a hundred years or more._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way the fan theory about a certain dead girl's relationship to Lauriam is from tumblr, but I decided I like it.


	6. Flickering Light of Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First real battle with the Norts, also I can't resist referencing my favorite part of the Roxas segment of 2.

 

**Unknown Time to Zero Hour**

 

Sora looks out cross the plains of the Pride Lands, he’s fighting a heartless, it looks like a behemoth but it’s too big, and it’s side horns split half-way up into fours, with the central horn being serrated. It charges a great bolt of dark energy and shoots it. Sora doesn’t know why but he hesitates, and the darkness hits him, pain searing through him like white hot agony. Someone shouts “VEN!?”

 

Suddenly there’s another lion leaping in front of him, the other’s mane is pink, like a rose, or cherry blossoms. They have a keyblade, they charge it with a light so strong Sora can’t look directly at it, launching a strike raid infused with this light the Apocalypse Behemoth is destroyed, but Sora can feel agony lancing through him whenever he breaths. Through cloudy vision he can see another heartless, this one broad shouldered with ragged clothes horns, and demonic wings. It does something that Sora can’t believe, it speaks. It’s voice is terrible, ragged, and sharp, like an old chipped razor. “Choose, chase me, or save him.” It disappears through a dark corridor, then Sora’s being picked up by, Marluxia, the Marluxia in front of him is much younger, probably close to his age, but it’s him, same eyes, same hair. He looks down at Sora, not with the cold, calculating expression that Sora remembers, but this one is laced with fear and guilt. “I’m sorry Ven, please hold on!” It’s all he says before Sora wakes in his bed in the Mysterious Tower

 

 

**68 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“We’re going to Twilight Town” Donald and Goofy let out startled noises, “why’s that Sora?” Sora leans back and thinks how to explain, “I think that it’ll be good to see everyone, there aren’t really any heartless there, and it’s got that mansion with Ansem’s computer and his data town. If anywhere’s gonna have information on the journal pages, it’ll be there or Radiant Garden, I want to start with the closest area.” Donald nods, “makes sense, but where are we going to start?” Sora smiles, “I want to ask around town then check the mansion, when we get there we’ll split up. Donald, you search around the station, tunnels, and alleys, Goofy, you ask around the sandlot and commons. I’ll take the area around Sunset hill.” The three nod and start their day.

 

 

**68 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Having thoroughly exhausted his tolerance for wallowing in self pity, Lauriam has resolved to stalk the halls of the sunken city until he can think of his next short-term solution. Tiredly he walks down the various thoroughfares, that is until he hears music blasting from one of the rooms. He sighs, and walks in, there, in a pair of athletic shorts and a sports bra, and not much else is Larxene, _is she practicing dance or kickboxing? With her, probably both,_ she notices him in the door and looks annoyed, until she smirks. Waltzes over to him, and drags him into her room, using a remote to turn up the music.

 

“ _Dress undone you’re still my favorite taboo_

 

_woooh-oo~_

 

_You and me are irresistible_

 

_You and me are indestructible”_

She’s spinning him, and clearly leading the dance, and for once, Lauriam can’t help but be okay with being led. It’s part impromptu dance session, part sparring match with them taking the occasional cheap shot at each other. The song ends with them panting from exertion, “feel better mister mopey?” Lauriam can’t help but chuckle, “how is it that I have so much practice bottling or disguising my feelings and you still read them like a book?” Larxene just smiles her cocky smile, “why, Lauriam, how else should I behave?” Lauriam releases a small chuckle, “as is you would ever be told how to behave.” She nods and kisses him on the tip of his nose, laughing at his reaction, “wanna talk about it?” Lauriam shakes his head, “rather make my next move.” She lets go of him, “good, I’m not one for squicky feelings time, and besides, Robespierre and Saint-Just brought back some news from Twilight Town. Apparently Xemnas and his minions have been skulking around. Wanna check it out and maybe ruin their day while we’re at it?” Lauriam smiles, “we must still be discreet my dear, but yes, that does sound like a plan, shall we make a date of it?” Larxene makes puts her hand on her chest, and flutters her eyelashes, “why I do declare! Lauriam ever the romantic;” she says like a demure waif. An act that falls away instantly, “let me get showered.”

 

 

**68 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora follows his memories of Roxas’ last few days of existence, he’s had more and more dreams about Roxas, his time with Axle, the organization and everything else. They are more vivid on the days he’s training with Lea. No matter how many dreams he has, most of them are tainted by a feeling of loss, like he’s forgotten something important. That’s not why he’s here though, the digital Twilight Town had a glitch, the real one might have something similar. Sunset Terrace, he’s sitting cross legged, staring down his reflection. “This was stupid, I don’t know why I thought this would work,” Sora stands up and gently dusts himself off. “You’re right, you are stupid,” Sora’s gaze snaps to the waterfall, the voice was distant like an echo, but his reflection in the waterfall is still sitting cross legged, the voice seems to be fainter now that he’s focusing on it, _seems to work for you though_. Then his reflection shimmers and as though it were just an illusion Sora’s observing his normal mirror image. Sora frowns at it, it frowns back, “Whatever, gotta go meet the others at the mansion.” When Sora turns to walk away his reflections seems to turn a beat too slow, and in the glinting light of the sunset the eyes look like molten gold.

 

Sora approaches the old mansion, “Donald! Goofy! You here yet?” Sora looks around, seeing nothing shrugs, “guess not.” Then a deep voice reverberates through the clearing, “no, but we are.” A dark corridor opens and out emerges Xemnas, and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. Sora’s keybalde is already in hand, Xemnas lets out a deep chuckle, “and what do you intend to do with that? Alone and friendless.” He summons an Ethereal Blade and lunges, Sora parries and tries to strike back only to be grabbed by a crushing force. Ansem’s Guardian begins squeezing the air from his lungs, “so dependent on others, without them you are nothing.” Xemnas’ cold gaze evaluates him like a judge making note of a show dog. “You could be so much more,” he reaches out to Sora who struggles only to be squeezed harder, black spots start filling his vision, then someone shouts “THUNDER!” and the hands releases him the Guardian retreating behind Ansem. Xemnas turns his gaze still cold but there's a flicker of something like anger within it. “Always so inconvenient,” the corrosive energy of Nothingness crackles in his hands, he launches a bolt at Donald, only for Goofy to intercept with his shield, Sora coughs, sucking in breaths of sweet air. Shaking he gets to his feet, “ready for a fair fight?” Xemnas sneers back at the boy, “no.” Then he snaps his fingers and several Sorcerer nobodies appear behind him, Ansem holds his arm out and Neoshadows erupt from the ground. “Now let’s continue,” at Xemnas’ signal all the beings charge joined by the Seekers of Darkness.

 

Sora and his friends fight, learning from his previous horde battles Sora keeps fights cautiously, letting Donald’s Aero magic and Goofy’s shield do the defense work striking where he can, A sorcerer and neoshadow both fade from existence, he moves in for another but Xemnas intercepts him with an energy barrier. The energy from his impact as well as the Nothingness energies lace up the keyblade and through Sora’s arms, numbness overtakes it. Xemnas follows it up with strikes, Sora reacts, almost too slow to block them, having to resort to a quick cast Reflect spell to avoid his finisher. Donald begins casting a new spell only to be struck with powerful disks of dark energy and pushed back. Goofy tries to block them but he’s swatted down by the Guardian, Ansem and the heartless are working in tandem but surprisingly independent of each other.

 

 _No, I can’t_ , Sora’s mind races, Xemnas is readying his Invitation to Nothingness attack, _I can’t keep losing_ , “You promised to bring Roxas back didn’t you? How do you expect to do that when he never should have existed. There’s only one way to do it… Are you finally going to release the darkness within you Sora?” _I can’t, that’s what they want, I need…_ _Then use mine,_ it’s like his own thoughts, but like the memories of the not-Marluxia it’s not his, _if you can’t handle your own darkness yet, a reject’s shouldn’t be to hard._ Suddenly power surges through Sora, his MP had been recharging, but it surges to life, however he can feel the replenishment in the form of intense physical pain as his own health is burned to fuel the dark fire bathing his keyblade. With a cry of rage Sora brings it down, abandoning his attack, Xemnas is forced to cross his Interdiction in front of him to block the keyblade. Sora’s animalistic scream is laced with something else, almost like the echo of another voice from Sora’s throat, a manic unhinged laugh. For the first time in the battle Xemnas is afraid, he looks into Sora’s eyes, and almost like an afterimage, another face, almost identical to Sora imposes itself over the boy’s. Xemnas’ eyes widen in understanding and terror. The Dark Firaza detonates, Ansem’s Guardian jumps in front of him barely in time, the force of the explosion sends Donald and Goofy flying, all remaining heartless and nobodies are incinerated instantly. The whole clearing is bathed in blinding light and the mansion’s gates are blown off their hinges.

 

 

**68 Days to Zero Hour**

 

In his tower Yen Sid sends a message to Riku, “Riku, you and the King must get to Twilight Town immediately! I have sensed an immense release of dark aligned magic.”

 

 

**68 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Lauriam and Larxene watch the battle unfold, Lauriam prepares to intervene when the spell is unleashed, they’re knocked back by the blast but remain upright. Lauriam wants to wait for the smoke to clear but he knows better, his heart sinks to his feet. He grabs Larxene’s hand and opens a corridor, “we need to keep at least two scouts here, and send some to Traverse Town. There’s a chance that Roxas was just reborn and I don’t want him getting snapped up by anyone else. Larxene nods and they both race into the darkness.”

 

**68 Days to Zero Hour**

 

It didn’t take long to find out the source of the disturbance, the whole of Twilight Town heard the explosion, and the smoke could be seen from the Usual Spot. As soon as they got the sight of it the King ran to Donald and Goofy who were out cold having become very familiar very fast with the ground and a tree respectively. Riku makes his way to the Mansion, the stone wall is entirely blackened, the near by trees were seared as though by a lightening strike. The iron gate was hurled into the front of the mansion and the hinges and stone nearest the epicenter were melted into each other. The ground at the center of the burned circle was a mix of ash and glass. Riku makes his way to the sound of a soft groan in the treeline, what he finds is not what he’s expecting. Ansem is leaning on a tree, the entire sleeve and glove of one arm is nearly entirely burned away. The Firaga bangle on his wrist is likely the only reason the arm didn’t go with it.

 

Riku holds his keyblad in front of him, keeping his face steady and the fear and rage boiling within him in check. “What have you done here? And where’s Sora?” Ansem chokes and wheezes coughing up ash and any soot or smoke he inhaled. Riku waits for him to finish, not wavering from his battler stance but not attacking. “We were sent to try and push Sora to the Darkness.” He gives a rueful smile, “I think we succeeded, but I don’t know, I’m beginning to think Xehanort doesn’t know what kind of weapon he’s trying to create.” Riku looks surprised at this his terror increasing a hundred fold, “are you saying that Sora did this? You’re lying!” Ansem just looks at him, Riku’s eyes narrow, “no your not.” Ansem let’s out a laugh, emotion slipping through the facade of indifference he wears, “you would know wouldn’t you? Are you going to destroy me?” Riku lowers his keyblade, “I should,” Ansem nods, “yes, it would be for the best.” Riku and he stare each other down for a long moment, “why? If that’s how you feel why side with Xehanort and his schemes?” Ansem just shakes his head, “no Seeker has a choice anymore, and only a few ever did. If you aren’t going to finish me, I must leave.” He opens a corridor though it clearly puts strain on his body to do so, even a heartless like Ansem is vulnerable to exhaustion. Despite everything Riku has the urge to help him, he also has the urge to end him while his back is turned. “You should stop warring with yourself and make a decision one of these days Riku.” Ansem spares one last look over his shoulder, “I wonder, which of us knows the other’s heart better at this point?” The corridor closes, returning the clearing to silence.

 

 

**64 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Xemnas wakes in the world that never was, his chest and face is bandaged, his skin is still an angry red, as though severely sunburned. “Bout time you woke up,” a familiar voice says. Xemnas calls his ethereal blade to hand immediately, adrenaline coursing through him. Five looks unimpressed, “lame, you can barely hold that weapon together, put it away before you get hurt… Well, more hurt.” Xemnas’ weapon fades as soon as he loses any focus. “Sunshine really doesn’t know how to hold back yet, Xehanort might want that for his schemes, but he’s” there’s a nasty edge that enters Five’s voice, a mocking and cruel tone, “playing with fire.” The door opens “do not antagonize him,” Saïx curtly orders the other Seeker once he enters. “Oh look, your puppy’s back so I can leave.” On his way out he turns and stage whispers to Saïx “just because he’s awake doesn’t mean he’s ready to have you humping his leg.” Saïx’s eyes glow dangerously as his berserker nature emerges, but Five is already out the door cackling with sadistic glee.

 

“He’s right you know,” Five stops in his tracks half-way down the hall, “oh, it’s you Junior. Don’t worry I know, but this is a good lesson about hearts, and what rage truly looks like.” Young Xehanort nods, then cocks his head to the side, “I thought I was ‘Gramps?’” Five pauses for a minute then starts laughing, “Yeah, no, sorry about that, Gramps is the old dude, after all it’s easier to shout ‘hey Gramps!’ Than ‘hey you crusty old fuck-face!’” Xehanort is stunned by this reply, shameless and without a trace of the fear he should have for Xehanort. _Could my older self be wrong? He said this one was broken, vicious and mouthy, but utterly subservient. Yet, I sense no fear from him._ Five leans in “aw, don’t tell me you’re actually worried about lil ol me?” Xehanort leans back, the movement is graceful, but there’s a startled jerk to it all the same. “You are! well then, maybe you should spend more time keeping an eye on me yourself. Too bad I’m busy today though.” Xehanort, turns around, “Luxord and I have another joint assignment so I to am unavailable.” He says, acting for all the world like Five had merely asked about the weather.

 

 

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora is falling through darkness and cold, stars float by him, he can feel something pushing against him a resistance that lasts only a moment until he’s engulfed in warmth. Sora looks around him, half conscious and delirious with pain and exhaustion, he’s surrounded by, figures, some human some animal, or maybe they’re all human? All animal? Some amalgam? The figures continue to bleed and warp into each other, Sora can tell neither what they are nor how many, but they speak as one. “Child of Light, who walks a the twilight road to night’s embrace, seek us out, you can protect nothing if you continue to war with yourself. Do this and we will return you to what you once were.”

 

**66 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora wakes up on a pallet of straw in a small cave there’s a fire going with a man sleeping next to it an eagle perched on his shoulder watching Sora intently. He stirs and tries to rise only to fall back down, curious he looks down at himself, “whoa, I didn’t know this could happen on worlds that weren’t the Pride Lands!” His body looks feline, similar to his lion form, but different some how. “Finally awake? You were out for a couple of days there.” Sora looks at the man who’s sleepily looking back at him, “you should thank this one here.” He says gesturing to the eagle, who promptly takes off and flies out the cave, “I don’t normally make a point of picking up large dangerous predators, but he was pretty insistent.”


	7. Forest of Dancing Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora's Heart Hotel and Excellent Adventure.

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

Her brief visit from her friend was a refreshing change from the constant scenes of devastation, still, seeing Destiny Islands in that state broke her heart. That her sacrifice saved both the Islands and the boys is something. Now she’s back to wandering the empty spaces of the Realm of Darkness, just wandering the beach of the Dark Margin, a short while ago the man she was sitting with disappeared, and now she’s alone again. “Wow, great master Aqua, lost in the Realm of Darkness, how the mighty have fallen.” She looks up slowly, “I suppose it was only a matter of time before your phantom came to torment me.” The hooded figure is standing on one of the rocks, his face is hidden but his voice is still as distinct as ever. Aqua hefts Master Keeper in her hand and points it at the phantom. “Well come on then,” the figure rocks back on the balls of his feet, “you know, this might surprise you but I actually have better things to do than give you something to hit in order to feel better.” Then he turns and a Dark Corridor opens around him, “I just stopped by to give you your ticket out, you’ll need it once help arrives.” Before disappearing he tosses something over his shoulder, “I expect a ‘thank you’ someday.” With that he’s gone, and Aqua is left bewildered, holding Ventus’ wayfinder. “How? Could he have been real?”

 

 

**66 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora’s staring down his rescuer who just laughs, “don’t give me that look, I don’t know why you think chatting at me is going to get you anywhere.” He rubs the back of his head and glares at the bird, “you are extremely unhelpful too you know? I was all set to be done with this nonsense, but nooope, you gotta drag me back into this sort of thing. Listen panther boy, I’ll say this once, you gotta somehow learn some lesson or something, and make your way to the summit of that mountain, it’s what the last guy did.” He points to the peak of a nearby mountain standing tall above the trees, “it’s where the hearts of our ancestors go. They live on and come back to us, though never quite how it’s expected.” He shoots a fond look at the eagle on a nearby tree branch, then he frowns up at the bird, “okay you feathery jerk, I was serious, I gotta get back and help out with the fishing since winter is still a thing. So when I said you help get him where he needs to be, I meant it.” He turns and stalks off, “bah, next time you can bug the old lady for help, I’m not cut out to be a shaman.”

 

The eagle flies ahead of Sora who’s lagging behind, because he’s trying to be aware of his surroundings, not at all because he’s pouting. “Hey! I don’t know what kind of lesson I’m supposed to learn, but I really need to get back to my friends. There’s kind of a war about to start.” The eagle looks back at him, then flies off. Sora is definitely pouting now, “AUGH! Why am I always the one getting sent on these sorts of quests?” Without anyone around Sora just let’s loose a scream he’s been holding in since Yen Sid told him he wasn’t fit to be a keyblade master. _Because you’re the hero, because you want to save everyone, because you’re also an idiot who doesn’t seem to get how much work it’ll be. Some problems can’t just be hit with a giant key until they disappear._ “Ugh, I know that, doesn’t mean I want to hike around stuck on some world-” then realizing what he’s doing he growls. “Fighting with yourself is a new low Sora.” _It’s because you don’t have any friends here, your just a sad lonely-_ “SHUT UP!” Sora stops, the words flew out of his mouth, they silent the intrusive thoughts but still, he shudders, then chuckles a bit, it almost sounded like what her remembers Roxas speaking like.

 

 

**65 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“Blurgh” Five is drooped over the couch making noises of discontent, Young Xehanort sighs, “if you’re bored why don’t you go track down Sora.” Five looks up at him, “that’s not what I’m bitching about,” his face is near impossible to discern but his voice has the distinctly petulant whine that Xehanort has come to associate with Five avoiding something he doesn’t want to do. “Dog-breath has an assignment so Sleeping Beauty is my responsibility until six tomorrow. Fuck my non-existence.” Xehanort chuckles at this, “poor baby, stuck watching a coma patient, how will you survive.” Five tumbles over the couch and onto his feet, “better question is how Mansex will survive it, I get antsy when I don’t get to move for a long periods of time.” Xehanort sighs, “I’m aware, as is my elder self, so I’m guessing you’ll have some sort of incentive to not kill him.” Five shrugs, “I wont, it’s no fun without a fight,” then he walks out the door casually knocking the book out of Xehanort’s hands on his way. “You’re worse than a cat you know?” Five’s already stalking down the halls towards the medical wing.

 

 

**65 Days to Zero Hour**

 

The first day of hiking was spent at a slow pace, Sora still recovering from the battle with Xemnas and Ansem. So far at least the journey had been quiet, but there’s something to the silence of the wilderness, like every so often they’ll pass a secluded grove or bit of glacial tundra and the world will go cold and empty. In these quiet yet tense places there’s something in the air, a scent, like an infected wound. _There are heartless here, or there will be_ , unsure of how he knows but certain either way, Sora summons his keyblade. Then something happens, the anxious feeling building in him stops and drains suddenly, a black and violet mist seeps out of him and forms a monster, small and low to the ground, emblazoned with the same symbol as the one he and Riku fought in traverse town…

 

 

**65 Days to Zero Hour**

 

After his increasingly odd encounter with Five, Xehanort stood before his future self, “you have become too attached to the people here.” Xehanort bows his head in shame as Master Xehanort continues, “these attachments are weakness, you know that, these are our vessels, and that will not stop you or I from doing what needs to be done to summon Kingdom Hearts will it?” Though phrased like a question, it was an order, Xehanort could still feel the cold of the blizzard spell sear his back. His punishment for failing to keep Sora had been severe. “You will learn to tolerate the pain, to use it to fuel your darkness, and master it.” Xehanort looks up at the old man who he at once admires and hates, “as you did?” Master Xehanort’s laugh is low and filled with hunger, “exactly so, why do you suppose I oversee your growth personally? It is what was done, it is what has to be done, it is what you will eventually do. We cannot escape destiny boy, merely play the role we are assigned, that is more true for us than even the others here.” Master Xehanort places a hand on his younger self’s shoulder, “they are all fragments of us, but only you and I truly understand the part we play in destiny’s game, never forget that.” Xehanort looks up at the old man, “about that, Five has been acting oddly of late, he’s become… Attached to me it seems.”

 

Xehanort smiles, “a remnant I’d thought he’d outgrown, good, use his dependence on you, he is desperate for attention and approval use that to your advantage.” Xehanort was startled, but masked it, _could you really not know? Are you and I not one and the same?_ The young man’s mind races at the prospect that his older self may not be as omniscient as he implies. For the first time since meeting the Seeker of Darkness those years ago on Destiny Islands young Xehanort feels a twinge of hope. “Is this a test?” Xehanort waves the question off, “everything is a test, the universe tests us everyday, each time in an attempt to throw and destroy us.”

 

 

 

**65 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Unlike the one in traverse town these are small and easily dispatched. They move faster and with more urgency than shadows but ae of about comparable strength; possibly even weaker, a draw back for their speed perhaps. But every time he killed one it was like an ice cold scalpel was being taken to his heart, the pain is so intense that once the last one has fallen Sora nearly passes out. Evidently this was a sign that it was time to stop for the night, something for which Sora is infinitely grateful.

 

Sora and his erstwhile Avian guide settle in for the night, there’s some rustling in the bushes and an old women hikes out of them. “So nice of you two to stay near the camp so I don’t have to hike through a dozen briers and half way up a mountain to find you two.” Her voice is all biting sarcasm, Sora cocks his head to the side in the universal gesture of confusion before getting up to help her. “Oh, a polite young man, at least someone’s helping.” This is shot towards the eagle who simply preens in an equally universal gesture of “I’m a bird what do you want from me?” She grumbles while she sets up a fire. “So you’re from another world.” Sora starts the bird leans in, “oh don’t look surprised I’m a shaman, and the spirits guide me. They can sense these things, where your from, and how many spirits you have sleeping inside you. Though one of them seems quite lively for someone who should be asleep...”

 

The fire burns and she adds something to it, briefly in the flickering shadows Sora thought he could see a few other faces. Silhouettes next to his own, “hmm, I think, you’re in for a rough ride kid. In order to get the spirits to let you leave you’re going to have to learn something about yourself, something I assume you were told. But rather than being obtuse about it I’m going to say, you’re going to need to know each of those who reside within you. If you don’t you’ll be at war with yourself, and that will poison you.” Sora yawns, only to be hit in the head by a nut, “respect your elders and listen kid, you want the darkness you fight to swallow you?” He growls, “she rolls her eyes, you’re going to be confronting many dangers ahead, be very careful here. Now, make like a cat and go hunt some dinner, climbing a mountain’s got me famished.” Sora blanches beneath his fur but not wanting to get clocked by a rock leaves the old woman.

 

 

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

“I still don’t get why.” Ventus stares out into the darkness, “If it sucked so much with Xehanort, and you knew where we were then why didn’t you at least try to meet me.” There’s a scoff from the void, “you’re pure light, I’m pure darkness, I can’t exist without you. Your existence drives me, pushes me to try and consume you. Eraqus would have destroyed me on sight, and even if he didn’t your friends would have tried the minute I tried to kill you.” Ventus sits straighter, “oh, didn’t like that? Why do you think the old man never came back for you? Half him training me was to keep me from killing you myself, darkness wants to subsume light, even you should understand that.”

 

 

**65 Days to Zero Hour**

 

In another part of the forest a dark portal opens, Mandrake and Edmund exit from the corridors used by all Nobodies. A Creeper in a nearby tree announces, “new faces, unknown, come see.” The knight and the thief wait patiently until a dancer skates up to them. “You two are a surprise, I thought eleven and twelve’s squads were dissolved when they were destroyed. Mandrake shrugs it’s shoulders, “a likely event had we not fled, I understand thirteen’s lieutenant leads you?” The dancer twitches in a way that would seem inhuman but another lesser nobody identifies as nervousness. “You’re well informed,” Edmund cuts in, “we’re getting no where with this middling lackey. Take us to San.” The dancer starts but ultimately seems relived to pawn these two off on someone higher up the ladder.

 

At the center of the village the samurai they seek is walking among the other nobodies, an oddly large collection, dusks, gamblers, dancers, even a sorcerer floated about. “Impressive that you should secure so many from the organization.” San turns to them from the assassin she’d been speaking to. “It was not easy, even after Xemnas’ fall, many of the lesser nobodies flocked to this new organization for purpose, and many others… Perhaps you should see for yourselves.” Mandrake and Edmund glance at each other. San gestures to a tent with two more samurai and a berserker standing guard, she nods to the guards and the others walk in. Inside there are a number of, well, it’s impossible to describe them, they looked like nobodies but their cloth-like bodies were tattered and misshapen darkness infused flesh bulged outward. The beady yellow eyes of a heartless stare out from under their masks or hoods. Most seem placid and docile but one lunges at San restrained by a length of chain and sent back to it’s corner by a sniper’s bolt. “ma'am, ah’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t rile that one up with strangers, ya know how it is.” San nods, “yes Oak, but they need to see them eventually.” The sniper retreats to it’s hidden alcove above them.

 

“When Xemnas’ Kingdom Hearts was destroyed many nobodies made a grab at the falling hearts, as you can see, it rarely agrees with them. We’d rather find a way to help them instead of destroying them so we restrain them when we find them. As you can see, most are docile and wont attack unless provoked, others are subsumed by darker emotions. We call these the _tormented_.” The knight and the thief stare at San, “we may be of some assistance in this matter. Or rather the one on whose behalf we are here.” Before San can reply a creeper flutters to the window, “strangers in the forest, one has the scent of a keyblade about them.” San sighs, “we’ll discuss it tomorrow, for now be at peace and cause no trouble, I’ll be back.”

 

 

**64 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Urged by the eagle Sora leaves camp early before the old woman wakes up. About an hours walk outside of camp Sora tenses, summoning his keyblade. A number of heartless appear, mostly small ones that look like beaver and a single large one that resembled an elk. Further into the dark patch he sensed there’s a strangeness in the air, like the darkness of the forest is coalescing into a form the wound of the place opens. Like a static in a television the world becomes grainy and a monster tears it’s self out of the wound. A creature like a big bear but with undefined arms, like the caricature of bones or tribal markings suggesting claws in place of actual claws. Sora summons his keyblade, and charges the enemy. It brings it’s claws down on him and roars, Sora dodges with a quick dash and fires off a thunder spell, negated by the enemy’s earth affinity. Sora dodges and tries to repel the next volley, only to be saved by a surge of magic and an aero spell that carries him to safety. Suddenly next to him is a slightly glowing spirit in the shape of a Shiba Inu dog, the dog wags it’s tail happily at him. He smiles and the two charge the enemy.

 

 

**64 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“Absolutely not!” San slams her fist down on the table, “they used us and cast us aside, throwing us to the keyblade warriors the minute they deemed it necessary. They took unacceptable risks with our lives and you want us to trust them again? Now that they are in the position of being whole while we teeter on the edge of nothing?” Mandrake holds up his hand in a calming gesture, “peace San, our master sent us away before his battle, and never squandered our lives. Besides, did you find your phantom keyblade wielder, even if he’s not here, Sora again wanders the worlds, how long before he or one of his companions finds their way here?” Unnoticed Edmund slips into the group.

 

 

**64 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Aided by his companion spirits wind magic and a series of well placed strike raids Sora dispatches the bear like monster which then fades into the rift it created, Sora uses the keyblade and seals the rift. The grainy washed out appearance of the world fades back into normalcy, but with it his canine friend also fades letting out a couple happy barks before vanishing completely. Sora continues on his upward trek.

 

 

**64 Days to Zero Hour**

 

The chains, weakened by a file, the sniper guarding them hampered by a sleep spell and two of the guards inhibited by a bind mine, are all unable to stop the tormented psychosis as it rampages through the camp chasing the smell of a keyblade, and three hearts of strong light. A group of creepers takes off after it to trail it’s movements.

 

 

**64 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“San! The violent tormented has escaped, several of the catatonic were injured!” San stands up shooting a glare to the duo who, by all accounts hadn’t been unaccounted for the whole meeting. “Are the creepers tracking it?” The samurai who brought the news salutes, “yes ma'am, it seems to be hunting something further up the mountain.

 

 

**64 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora was about half-way up the summit when a crashing in the brush unveils another monster this one has no analogue in nature, roughly simian in shape like a gorilla but with a long jagged tail and brutal barbed tipped tendrils, bulging darkness infused muscles and baleful yellow eyes peered out from it’s white outer covering. It strikes with unparalleled ferocity and had the appearance of two more spirits not distracted it, it’s initial surprise attack may have crippled him. It’s frothing rage filled thrashing did not provide many openings and despite the assistance of the fox and coyote spirits the battle is hard fought. One of the stinger tendrils strikes the fox, both it and Sora cry in shared pain, the monster seems to relish in this sound and readies another strike only to have an enraged coyote spirit crash into it with Sora’s keyblade. The harsh and brutal attacks stun the beast momentarily, and the combo finishes with a pillar of light from an insignia crashing in the monster. The fox having recovered releases a cry and a vortex of light appears beneath the beast along with an orb of darkness displaced by the light, it’s ephemera was torn but it readied itself for another attack. But the trio was also ready their combined power created a pillar of light that filled the clearing and once the light dimmed and faded, shadowy tendrils began to engulf the creature. It let loose one cry of rage, of pain, and fear, a heart flowed from it into the dark with a fast fading dusk reaching after it, but soon both were gone, lost to darkness.

 

As soon as the entity is gone, so to do the spirits fade replaced by a warm feeling in Sora’s chest. “I get it,” the eagle looks at him quizzically, “I think, these are the people sleeping inside my heart, I think I recognized Roxas, but, who were the others?” The eagle looks at Sora for a moment then a man’s voice says “there’s one left, maybe you’ll know then.” The eagle flies off, leaving Sora slack jawed. However he turns to the summit, “one left? There’s something else up there, darkness, really deep darkness.” _You wont have your light in this battle, only the lack of it, and the darkness within you_. A mocking thought echoes.

 

 

**64 Days to Zero Hour**

 

The creepers finished their report and San sags into her temporary seating, “we just got settled.” Mandrake floats over to her, “yes, wouldn’t it be better to have a keyblade wielder on your side? Would you not rather have a real home to defend? That’s what we’re working towards. Join us and we can even save those tormented.” San glares at him through her mask, “you set this in motion, it’s too perfect, too like one of Marluxia’s schemes, but I don’t have a choice, the whole group heard your proposal, fine, show us the way to your master, but even if it destroys me, I will run him through if his plans threaten the people here.” Edmund smiled, “such conviction should not exist in those without hearts, but it’s ideal for those clawing existence from the grasp of nothingness…

 

 

**63 Days to Zero Hour**

 

By the time Sora made it to the summit the adrenaline of his twilight battle had long since faded, above him the sky was inky black, not even a twinkling star. “This can’t be the right place, it’s so, cold, and wrong.” As soon as he finishes his thought a dark beast swoops down, the creature is covered in dark fur, perfectly blending in with the night sky. The yellow of it’s tribal iconography skull and vertebrae stands in contrast to the rest of it. Sora summons his light but finds it drained into the bleakness of the landscape. “Idiot, light has no place here, and I’m not gonna carry this.” A voice from the darkness echoes across the mountain top. Then a volley of dark energy shoots from somewhere in the gloom into the dragon-like monster. Sora tries to draw on his magic but the light affinity spells seem to drain and barely register to the thing in front of him. “What are you doing? Light wont work here, use the spell you used before, roast this turkey!” Sora cries out at his tormentor, “I can’t, I wont use the darkness.”

 

There’s a mocking laugh, “fine then, get eaten, because I’m at the limit of what you’ll let me do... Oh well, not like life was worth living for either of us anyway.” Sora stares into the abyss, “what do you mean?” Then the voice whispers terrifyingly close, “Every heart within yours perishes with you brat, or didn’t you know that?” Sora yelps and the beast breaths a gout of flame illuminating just enough for Sora to see a black furred tail disappear. “I can’t use the darkness, that’s what Xehanort wants and if he gets me then that’s it for you too!” The voice purrs again too close for comfort but Sora swallows his reaction this time, “only if your darkness owns you, only if you cannot master that fundamental part of yourself. Only if you continue to be ruled by fear, I thought you were good at this whole empathy thing?” Sora turns towards the voice and hisses, “even if I did I’ve never used darkness, my darkness is too weak.”

The voice laughs low and dangerous, “dumbass, your just making excuses, you’ve been using darkness for years, just not consciously, heck a year ago you wandered castle oblivion as a heartless, sure you walked and spoke, but so did Ansem.” Both of them dodge a tail swipe, but they are fast running out of mountain top, and Sora realizes, once he’s cornered that’s it, for him, and everyone he’s trying to save. “Your darkness is both strong and deep, if it wasn’t I would have been trapped all these years, no voice, no whispering into your ear, no anti-form when you lose control. Whose darkness do you think Riku drew on to summon those copies of you in Neverland? Why do you think you could still think when you were a heartless? Why do you think it only took a touch of the light to give you a human form? You were a heartless when you faced Ansem, when you destroyed Marluxia. Face the facts Sora, light has fled you the minute your heart is even touched, much less damaged, and you’ve had to work your way back into it’s good graces every time. You aren’t merely touched by darkness, you’re it’s champion!” Sora snarls, “LIAR!”

 

Once he does though power courses through him, different from any he’d used before, he teleports suddenly above the drake and into an Ars Arcanum, he ends it on the other side of the beast. _I’ve never been able to use my abilities like this before._ “That’s it Sora, let it out,” the beast strikes where the voice came from but the movement is above it, “pathetic.” Then like a poisonous arrow the shadow descends on the dragon beast. Fracturing it’s skull-like design and taking a horn off the horn fades. “That’s it, remember light, and darkness are two halves of each other Sora, if Xehanort destroys the realm of light what do you think will happen to it’s counterpart? The worlds chose you, all of them, including the realm of darkness, you said you were gonna save it all. Everything means everything Sunshine, not just the bits you like.” Sora growls and lunges at the beast, he times his strike with the taunting voice. The two slash and then as though by instinct he aims his keyblade towards the nexus of darkness and seals it and the beast with it. _Since when can I sense darkness?_ But it works and the mountain-top is awash in color and light once the rift seals an aurora explodes into life, images and spirits like those Sora saw upon entering the world dance around him.

 

“Huh, a melanistic mountain lion, neat, still see through though.” Sora turns around and sitting there mocking him is, a half transparent near mirror image of his own animal form. This one had black fur and the gold eyes of a Xehanort. “No, I knew you were trying to trick me.” The other panther cocks his head and flicks his ear, “huh?” A yellow pot like creature pops out of the cloud of darkness surrounding it before dissipating. “I guess since I’m not really real anymore I can’t make unversed either, lame.” Sora balks, “you’ve been making those things?” The other panther looks annoyed, “no dipstick I can do all of jack and shit while stuck inside that prison you call a heart, those are probably old unversed Xehanort’s somehow co-opted, I swear if I get my body back I’m beating his crusty face with his precious χ-blade.” Sora’s turn to look confused, “I thought you were a part of him Vanitas?” Then he looks shocked at himself _I’ve never met him_. Vanitas smiles, “I’m a part of you too now Sunshine, and I was a part of Useless way back when. It’s offered a unique if annoying perspective.” Sora huffs, “so if that’s true then you’re were all that darkness has been coming from.” Vanitas continues to smirk, “no such luck, I’ve been lending you my experience with darkness as a crutch, but it’s all you bay-bee. I wouldn’t be talking to you like this otherwise. Everything I said is true Sora, you have as much an affinity for the dark as Xehanort, not as much as myself, but we can’t all be hearts of pure darkness, so I do need to lower my standards.”

 

“Alright,” Sora turns addressing the spirits, and pointedly ignoring the mouthiest rent free occupant of his heart. “Lesson learned, send me home now please! You don’t even need to change me back I know two wizards, three fairies, and a witch who can do it for you!” The spirits continue their eternal dance, as though he doesn’t exist. “You’re supposed to meet and accept everyone in your heart, what happened to that whole light accepting people biz?” Sora rounds on him, “I thought I was DARK’S champion.” Vanitas leaps off the rock over Sora and lands between him and the spirits, “sure, so what? You gonna tell me that Xehanort, Yen Sid, or I is gonna tell you how to live?” Sora smiles “Yen Sid’s pretty wise, I could do worse.” Vanitas’ smile disappears it’s replaced with contempt, “sure, how many people are you gonna kill for him this time? All he had to do was tell you nobodies had no heart and you went on your merry way.” Sora looks for all the world like he’s been slapped, “get it yet? Either Yen Sid was wrong, or he lied to you to prevent a greater threat.” Sora’s stubborn streak rears it’s head, “so I should listen to you then?” Vanitas shrugs, “listen to me or don’t, but make your own decisions, I mean, no wonder Riku’s a master, you really are just a weapon, no agency of your own, Xemnas, Xehanort, or Yen Sid, they point you at something and it dies. I suppose I should sympathize, but you’re also really annoying about it.”

 

“How would I know if I’m dark’s champion then?” Sora screams, just trying to get Vanitas to shut up. Vanitas looks at him, all taunting, contempt, mirth, and arrogance gone. “You let the world’s decide, one world in particular, you do that and you’ll know, not only that, those people inside you? Well they might just get a second chance.” Sora’s turn to look haughty, “and does the wise mister Vanitas, who got himself stuck in the ‘fancy prison of my heart’ have a plan for all that.” Vanitas stops and sighs, “okay, one, I know what you meant but, phrasing, two unless you were trying to hit on me in which case you aren’t my type, three I never used the word fancy, and four, yes, yes I do, but you’re not gonna like it.”

 

 

**64 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Saïx hands Xemnas a glass of water, the other takes it, his normally cold demeanor showing a flash of gratitude. “You do not need to babysit me, I can handle five myself, and surely, Master Xehanort has other assignments for you.” Saïx sits down pulls out a tablet and begins to go about creating schedules and correspondences, “I can do any administrative work from here, including sending him my report for this last mission. And with all due respect lord Xemnas, Master Xehanort is not who I swore loyalty too. Xemnas puts the water glass down and retreats back into sleep, while Saïx continues to calmly go about his work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho boy, so this chapter gave me some trouble, but I finished it, it ended up being longer than I intended and I still haven't fully gotten to the point I wanted but I guess that's what the beginning of next chapter is for right? So in honor of my edgy trash son being confirmed in three (even though there's still aspects of that trailer that have me bitter) I'm posting this tonight. Things I've determined I really like writing, one, unsurprisingly, is Vanitas, who is both sassy and so very extra, I enjoy it a great deal. The other things being the domestic scenes with the norts basically being an extremely dysfunctional family/friend group. Also a dash of YMX angst because I like somewhat sympathetic villains even when they're literally doing it to themselves. Anywho, I'm tired now.


	8. Into the Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bunch of confrontations that were a long time coming.

**62 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“I’m taking off early today,” Master Xehanort lowers the faded and worn book he’s reading the winged heart on it’s cover almost entirely invisible, “are you now, and just who’s authority allowed that?” Five looks over his shoulder, “mine, I didn’t get to hit up the Colosseum during our last zany adventure. And if you think I’m going to sit on my ass instead of going to a world designed for everyone on it to kick the crap out of each other than you’re more cracked than anyone gave you credit for.” Xehanort glares after five slowly backing through a portal, “don’t be so impudent boy, I can unmake you easily, you know that.” Five salutes, “alright fine, would it make you happy if I picked up a t-shirt?” He quips before the portal collapses around him. Xehanort summons a small screen from the table, “My younger self, I require your assistance.” Master Xehanort then walks over to the window and looks out, “so, not only has he come, he does so of his own volition? Interesting, his darkness has grown more than I could have anticipated.”

 

 

**62 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Riku steps out of the gummi ship, Kairi following close behind, “we should be out looking for Sora!” she yells after him, Herc smiles this was clearly an argument that had been going for a while. Riku sighs, “we will Kairi, but we have no idea where he is, if he’s alive, or anything. Yen Sid said he didn’t sense Sora’s light go out, but that could mean nothing, and Xemnas and the others are still lurking around. I want to know that you can use the keyblade to defend yourself if they attack.” Kairi glares but doesn’t have a response, “Herc, please help my friend and fellow keyblade wielder work out some of her aggression before she tries to lay a one woman siege to the entire realm of darkness.” Hercules just laughs and walks up to Kairi, “let’s start with some barrel practice, but I think that we should be able to get some real tournament training. The Colosseum’s about to reopen today, and we’re holding a special ‘everyone’s invited’ tournament.” Kairi plays with the star shaped trinket she’s holding, “fine,” she glares at Riku, “once the tournament’s over, and I win! I’m going to hunt down Sora and you both for making me worry, and yes, if I have to I will lay siege to the realm of darkness, so you better bring Sora back before then!” Riku salutes her, “yes ma'am, will do ma’am!” Kairi sticks her tongue out at her friend, “smart-aleck.”

 

Kairi is lacing up her shoes and checking the wrist brace they gave her to protect her arms. “Left behind again,” she’d beaten Sora’s time on the barrel training, something she attributed to her acrobatics and willingness to ‘aggressively improvise.’ As Phil had called it sweeping up the debris, while also lecturing her about not destroying the place a second time. “Tell me about it, boys think that they get to go off and play hero, leaving us here to worry about them.” Kairi looks up to see Megara approaching her, she smiles at her, “is it just a boy thing?” Meg shrugs, “dunno, but apparently the first half of the tournament will be a tag team affair, you’ll be training and then fighting with a partner. Try to learn as much as you can from how they fight and work with them, the heartless here might be kept in check but they can still deal some serious damage if they get a bad hit in. Sora took a couple nasty shots when he was making his rounds through the tournament and he had two people helping him.” Kairi nods, “anything I should know about my partner before hand?” Meg shakes her head, “nothing I can give you, you’ll learn best by sparring with them.”

 

Kairi leaves the stuffy prep room and summons her keyblade, Phil’s voice echoes through the staging arena, “alright, by random assignment, Kairi, is paired up with the creep registered as ‘Negative Five,’ sorry about that toots, I hear this one’s a piece of work.” Kairi’s face goes flat, _Phil, maybe consider your own glass house before you start chucking granite_. The other door opens, Kairi tries her best to smile only for it to die on her lips when the black coat clad figure steps out. “I heard the name and I couldn’t believe it. Yet here you are in all your sickening radiance, guess we’re stuck together till we win Prin-.” He doesn’t get the chance to finish before he’s blocking the incoming strike raid, Kairi is already in attack range by the time his own keyblade is drawn. “Holy fuck you’re as crazy as I am,” there’s something Kairi doesn’t want to hear in his voice, a smile, “this match up might not be so bad after all!” The two clash exchanging blows, he’s skilled, more skilled than her, but Kairi is both determined and started out with the element of surprise. Now that it’s become a contest of attrition though the match tips in his favor. The robed man freezes, Kairi barely avoids the strike from above as the afterimage fades and the seeker of darkness drops from the position he’d warped to. She cartwheels backwards and then fires off a series of light orbs from her keyblade, a trick Queen Minnie had taught her during her brief visit to Disney Castle.

 

The figure laughs and teleports again halving the distance between them, “you’re making me all nostalgic Princess! I’d almost swear you were handpicked and trained by _**her**_.” Kairi smiles as he brings the flat of his keyblade to her face then charges up a radiant Fira spell, brilliant tiger lily shaped bursts of flame sear the air around her and her opponent is knocked back on his back. He lays there for a period of time, cautiously Kairi approaches the still figure, if she can interrogate him she might be able to find Sora. The figure laughs then in a complex twisting of his own body he rights himself, and Kairi’s heart stops, the figure’s hood falls back revealing his face. “No,” she whispers save the hair and eye color this person could be Sora, he’s an almost exact copy. His face looks confused, then he pats his own head realizing his hood came off, “ugh, I knew I should have worn my mask, listen Princess, I’m-” Kairi screams and charges the other man “you’re not Sora!” She cries, he barely has time to bring his keyblade to bear against hers, “okay, Princess, much as I like your spirit, seriously, usually I have to like really go after someone before they give me a good time.” He says between breaths trying to get the upper hand in the midst her rage fueled attack “I totally am digging this heart of pure light picking a fight with me first thing, that never happens, I didn’t even have to threaten anyone!”

 

Kairi unleashes another bout of light enhanced flame. The man vanishes this time further away from her “listen to me ya psycho!” Kairi fires off a blizzard spell, he counters with a toxic looking thunder spell obviously enhanced by darkness. Then he charges, counters her blade with his own he twists his wrist, and both their weapons go flying, then he tackles Kairi to the ground. “YOU’RE NOT SORA!” She screams in his face, he yells back as loudly, “NO I FUCKING AM **NOT**!” The sudden loss of cool from her opponent and profanity shocks her into a moment of silence. He sighs, and calmly asks “If I let you up are you going to try and kill me again?” Kairi scowls at him, “probably,” the other looks legitimately surprised by this, “ooookay, I am starting to wonder what Sunshine sees in you, like don’t get me wrong, I find this pretty damn hot, but he’s kind of the too nice and full of smiles for his own good type of dude ya get me?” Kairi’s eyes narrow dangerously, “where’s Sora?” The man shrugs, “dunno offhand, I have a guess, but I have no confirmation. No we did not capture him,” then he smiles broadly, it could almost have been Sora’s smile if it wasn’t too sharp, and too mean, “you should see what he did to Xemnas, you’d be so proud of him, _I’m_ so proud of him.” Kairi scowls even harder at him, “listen, I’m not Sora, yes I am a part of Gramps’ little posse, no I’m not particularly thrilled about it, no I’m not here to murder you or even fuck with you, I just wanted to let loose a bit.”

 

Sighing the boy lets her up and then stands back summons his keyblade to him and readies a defensive stance, but he doesn’t attack. “Who are you then and why do you look like Sora?” The other shrugs, “name’s Vanitas, as for question two, I don’t know, I think it has something to do with my Useless other half.” Kairi cocks her head, “what does your girlfriend, have to do with this?” Vanitas stops, then bursts out laughing, Kairi frowns and considers attacking him while he’s laughing. “Boyfriend? I mean I wont judge but,” that just makes Vanitas laugh harder, “I’m talking literally Princess!” Vanitas hiccups after his laughing fit dies back a bit, “I’m a heart of pure darkness, one half of a once whole; now anyone’s guess.” Kairi slumps to the ground the fatigue of the fight fading with her adrenaline, she sobs once, “Sora...” Vanitas looks distinctly uncomfortable, “uh, I’m usually all for making people cry but, this mood swing thing is freaking me out.” Kairi looks up and him and chokes out “shut up Vanitas, you have no idea what I’m feeling.” Suddenly Vanitas flinches and a black smog rises out of him, from it emerges a large dog-like monster, it has fierce eyes, and a symbol branded into it’s head, not the heartless emblem but close. “Ugh, really another one?” Vanitas says in a disgusted tone, “boy’s really done a number on me, Princess, I’m not Sora, and I don’t know where he is, I can tell you he’s fine-ish, not great, but alive. I wont lie and say he’s safe,” then considering his words Vanitas continues “I could but I wont, I also wont tell you how I know, because, we are still technically adversaries, okay?”

 

Kairi glares up at him and picks herself up, “why should I trust you?” Vanitas laughs again, “frankly, you shouldn’t, ever, like I mean, no one should, heart of darkness, I’m duplicity and bitterness made flesh, a wound in well, everything, the unversed,” he says patting the dog monster’s head, “wouldn’t exist otherwise.” Then he rolls his shoulders, “I haven’t felt like this in ages, I’m going to be so sore tomorrow, bruised too I bet!” Even though he’s listing off his injuries his face is lit up by a smile, unlike his earlier one it’s pure joy, no malice. “I was wrong,” Vanitas looks at her confused, “I thought, if you were smiling just because you were happy, not because something bad happened to someone, you’d look exactly like Sora.” Vanitas frowns a little, clearly he dislikes being compared to others, “you do look similar, but just now, it still wasn’t the same.” Vanitas just lets out an indignant huff and pouts, “well duh, I ain't Sora, I ain’t even his shadow, like I said I dunno why I look the way I do but.” He puts his hands behind his head, unlike Sora’s somewhat sheepish and good natured version, Vanitas is cocky, slightly arrogant, with an undercurrent of mystery. Then he sighs in a content manner, “I haven’t felt anything like this in too long. No battle, no pain, no ache, Void, even the sun feels nice.” Then he calls his keyblade back, “so, ready for round two, oh Princess of Heart?” Kairi calls her own blade to her and readies a battle stance, “every hit I land you have to tell me a bit of what Xehanort’s planning.”

 

Something moves through Vanitas’ eyes, a flicker of something Kairi almost misses it. Then he readies himself, his stance very like Riku’s. “Well, I better not let you do much then, Gramps and his asshole sidekicks’ll chew me right out.”

 

 

**60 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Lauriam prays he isn’t too late, the Dusk came to him as soon as it saw Sora enter the mansion, but that still only gives him some time. He has to sacrifice speed for some stealth, if Xehanort or the others uncover him too soon it could spoil everything, but if Sora falls to them that would almost be worse; almost. _What is he trying to prove? Has Xehanort got him or is he just that reckless?_ Sora had struck him as foolhardy and impulsive in Castle Oblivion, after facing Xemnas and the rest of the organization the prospect that Sora learned no caution hadn’t occurred to Lauriam. Below him Sora approaches memory’s skyscraper. He summons his blade and jumps from the roof of the building he’s warped to.

 

 

**60 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora wasn’t sure if he’d expected to see him or not, whatever the case, having the armored keyblade knight drop from the sky between him and the organization’s stronghold was a surprise. “What do you think you’re doing? Xehanort likely already knows you’re here, if you value your freedom, leave.” Sora summons his keyblade, “what’re you doing here? You following me or something? And no I can’t turn back I have too many people counting on me to go back.” The figure takes his stance, elegant like a master fencer, “more people than you know Sora.” He strikes, Sora rolls out of the way and swings hoping to catch the figure off guard but the other’s keyblade is already deflecting Sora’s. Sora uses a Fira spell, to push him back. The knight unleashes several small blossoms that begin to fire at Sora in succession. Dodging the petals, Sora realizes too late that he’s been cornered and the knights keyblade seperates into fragments that fire many lasers that track Sora across the ground. The knight scoffs, “this is the heart of a hero? Then let it be judged!” The lasers all strike Sora who repels them with a reflect spell and immediately follows with a strike raid. “What?” Is all the knight can say before the raid catches his face.

 

The helmet shatters and a mist of dark energy and petals is released, the shards of the broken helmet disappear as they fall. The air smells of a flower garden in bloom, rich soil, and a subtle note of decay. “It is you,” Sora can’t keep the venom from his voice, “Marluxia!” The pink haired man heals the cut across his face with a cure and holds out his hand, his keyblade reforms in it. Sora’s grip on his own weapon tightens, “no, you’re not Marluxia anymore, you’re Lauriam right?” Lauriam pauses, “how do you know that name I wonder? Could the heart sleeping within you be more talkative than I guessed?” Sora holds his head, there are images, fighting alongside this man, no, he’s younger in them. An argument, and… “Why’d you betray your friends?” Lauriam flinches, “I suppose that would be what he remembers most vividly.” Lauriam sighs, “it was for his own good Sora, and it is for his sake that I ask again, quit this field of battle. Xehanort will be brought to heel, as fallen warriors of the keyblade have always been.”

 

Sora readies his own stance, “no, I already told you I wont leave.” Lauriam rounds on him the Deathscythe attack is fast and vicious, even expecting it Sora takes much of the impact. “Fool, you will doom all those within you to oblivion! For what? Justice? Revenge? Trifles, I have seen what these ideals you cling to do. They bring naught but war, and death. If you are so eager to throw yourself on a blade then let me extract Ventus from you.” Sora slams his keyblade down combining an aeroa and fira spell to rupture the ground beneath them. Lauriam is blown back, he stiffens and looks around, “damn, out of time,” the stare he fixes Sora with his cold and filled with venom, “decades ago I learned that there are somethings only a nobody can do. Time I put that to use.” A vortex of dark energy appears behind him and Lauriam is gone. Sora almost relaxes, but the air is filled with a myriad of scents.

 

Beast, cheap cigars, the sea in autumn, and several others, but above them all is a foul smelling energy, like mildew, and rusted iron. A smell like a long forgotten oubliette covers the air and several dark corridors open around Sora out of each steps a different member of the new organization. The one in front of him and the last to step forward is an old man in a long coat. Sora’s never met the man in person, never seen his face, but the stench of his darkness, the description and the aura of power and menace he possesses proves him to be none other than Master Xehanort. Sora readies his keyblade, _remember to sell it, fight them hard, fast and vicious_.

 

Sora lunges like he’s going for Xehanort then shifts into a strike raid aimed at Ansem, several of the other members duck out of the way, Ansem’s guardian absorbs the impact but Sora’s already launched a thunder attack that has the other Seekers backing off it’s then he retrieves his keyblade and dives for Xehanort who’s left largely alone thanks to the spell. The old man brings his keyblade up trying to repel Sora’s advance. Sora unleashes a number of spells to counter Xehanorts, fire to blizzard, reflect to dark bolts, aero to thunder, Xehanort smiles in triumph; “I knew I chose well with you.” Then the world lags, Young Xehanort’s using a spell to slow Sora’s personal field of time and Ansem and Saïx pin his arms. Adrenaline pounds through his veins, and Xehanort readies the shard of his heart, preparing to finish the circle and move on to the next phase of his scheme. Sora struggles against them…

 

 

**63 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“Again,” Vanitas orders while Sora pants in exhaustion, “why? Doesn’t it hurt you to do this too?” Vanitas smiles, it’s predatory and not just because he has a mountain lion’s face. “Sure does Sunshine, however, there was a time when I had to fill a world with these, just so they could be destroyed, some cheap and easy fighting experience for my other half, and Gramps’ new body.” Sora frowns, “if this is darkness...” Vanitas cuts him off, “this isn’t darkness, but it is the fastest way to it, and it’s a pain you’ll need to be prepared for. Xehanort wont go easy on you, the darkness has to be yours, you have to know it, inside and out or Xehanort will roll right over you. You also need to know how to burn the pieces of your heart to do it, getting into or out of where we’re going wont be easy. You need to be ready.” Sora focuses, and another set of flood and scrapper unversed appear. Manifestations of Vanitas’ darkness, pulled through his own, which meant they hurt him as much as Vanitas when they were destroyed to fuel a dark ability.

 

 _We’ve been at this for three hours, and I’m ready to die it hurts_ _so much_ , “Vanitas, how long were you using the unversed to fight for Xehanort?” Vanitas looked thoughtful, “probably a little over four years, some days were less busy though, why?” Sora stands up and draws the agony of the unversed’s destruction through him, _if this pain can make Xehanort pay for all he’s put the worlds and those sleeping in my heart_ _through_ _, then I’ll see this to the end_.

 

 

**60 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“I’ll see this through to the end,” Sora repeats it like a mantra, the heart flies to him, darkness envelops him, driving Ansem and Saïx back. The darkness envelops the shard of Xehanort’s heart as it enters Sora who turns his keyblade on himself. Hands grab him and he falls, distantly he can hear Roxas’ voice screaming for him to stop. Then he’s falling too far for the voices to reach him.

 

 

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

The station of sleep, it looks like Destiny Islands, today it’s skies have darkened, and the sphere in the sky drives home that their refuge is in peril. Ventus and Xion are rushing towards the dock, the small island over which the sphere hangs like some terrible inversion of the sun. Roxas was swept away by the wind almost immediately after the sky darkened, reaching for something neither of he nor Xion could see. Once he exits the seaside shack Ventus’ blood runs cold, standing there on the island is a figure he thought long gone. “Vanitas!” the figure turns and there it is that sadistic smirk, “you never left, I thought you’d been destroyed.” A sick relief, fear, anger, and betrayal are all swirling through Ventus’ heart. Vanitas chuckles, “an overly optimistic assumption, but one that was useful for you to keep.”

 

“That’s not,” Ventus can’t believe what he’s hearing, suddenly, it all makes sense, Sora’s reckless decisions, the darkness clinging to his heart, to the stations of those inside it. “You’ve been doing this, twisting Sora’s thoughts the whole time!” Vanitas frowns “tch, hardly, all I’ve been doing is offering advice, suggestions, support even! Isn’t that what big brothers are supposed to do?” Vanitas puts his hand over his heart like he’s trying to show how earnest and sincere he is, it looks wrong with his sharp toothed smile. “I can’t believe anyone, even you would look at something so twisted like that.” Vanitas chuckles, low and dangerous, over their time in the station Ven’s learned to read Vanitas fairly well. That laugh means he’s either extremely angry of terrified, without his unversed projections it’s impossible to tell. “Aw, you’re just angry that you’ve been stuck here in this projection, trapped in deep slumber, while I get to ride the currents of Sora’s darkness to all the levels of consciousness. Darkness is so very convenient you know? Oh right, you wouldn’t.”

 

Xion move closer to Ventus, she draws her keyblade, “Ven, who is this guy?” Ventus looks ashamed, “he’s my darkness.” Xion looks at him, “what?” Vanitas curls his lip in disgust, “that’s right, the shattering of one complete being, the utter violation of a heart, the creation of two half breeds. Broken non-beings, one so fragile it needed the crutch of another’s heart. One hard edges and pain, fighting it’s own emotions until it was twisted enough to serve our master’s ‘glorious’ agenda. Isn’t that right Ventus? Then it all goes and gets cocked up, two halves can’t make a whole if even one refuses to accept what it is.” Ventus snarls and summons his keyblade, “I protected my friends!” Vanitas lets loose a nasty laugh, “Ha ha ha ha; you sure did, and how did that go? Terra’s a husk of himself, being worn by Xehanort like a cheap suit and broken in about three different pieces. Aqua’s who-knows-where, maybe Terranort killed her when she went after him.”

 

Ventus staggers back, the words sinking in, and the possible truth to them; “y-you lie!” The protest is weak even to himself, “Terra would never-” Vanitas cuts him off with the confirmation of his fears. “No but it’s not just Terra anymore, and Xehanort would without a second thought.” Then Vanitas’ shoulders slump in mock defeat, “Still congrats on beating me, congrats on shattering the χ-blade, good job Ventus, how many more lives has Xehanort twisted because _ **WE**_ failed the one thing that we were good for, how many worlds did he sink into the abyss. You really did a bang up job protecting those worlds, Xehanort should be so proud of his apprentice.” Vanitas mockingly applauds Ventus. Ventus and Xion charge him, but Vanitas holds out his hand a tide of darkness surges outward and the small island he’s standing on is broken from the main one. Over the roar of the darkness comes Vanitas’ voice, “go back to your station Ven, our time here is almost up.” Then the world disappears and Ventus is falling towards his station of heart, now almost whole.

 

 

**60 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Roxas looks around, the fading light of twilight town’s dusk, the chill of night finally entering the air. Roxas can feel it all, see with his own eyes, and feel the gnawing almost emptiness of a nobody’s existence, along with the whispers of fear and guilt from his fledgling heart. Still if he’s here, than Sora isn’t, Roxas screams in rage and anguish, then he starts when a voice behind him speaks. “That wont do you much good,” Roxas whirls around blade in hand ready to strike whoever spoke, his keyblade is deflected by another. Standing before him is someone he thought gone, “Marluxia,” the other sighs, “Lauriam again actually.” Then he stares at Roxas, “however, if you are truly grieved by Sora’s fall, then I give you a choice, stay here and continue to scream, or follow me and do something about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie I actually planned on putting the Vanitas-Kairi fight a little later, but I just really wanted to write it. Because lets be honest, Kairi would deck the first Nort she sees, and Vanitas is the type of weirdo who would look at someone picking a fight with him and go "you, I like."


	9. Forked Paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lilo adds an interdimensional margarita auntie to go with her space dads, feat a very sad banjo-boy.

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora fell for what seemed like ages, that is until he got flipped and stood on his Station of Heart, looking around he notices a black coat. Hoping it’s Roxas, Sora smiles and approaches the hooded figure only for his recent training with Riku and Herc to save him from a keyblade strike. The blade is a wicked thing, it’s all twisted silver, gray and black, almost like Oathkeeper and Oblivion’s evil offspring, Sora almost swore it pulsed or breathed like a living thing. On the hand guard a placid aquamarine eye stares at him. The figure chuckles, “not half bad, I heard you were good, but I had to see for myself.” The person takes off their hood and reveals Sora’s face, though the skin tone is darker, his hair is silver, and his eyes are gleaming yellow. “Wow, you are boring. Now lets see who’s the better Sora?”

 

Sora braces as his evil clone charges him, the two exchange blows rapidly, dark ars arcanum, sonic shadow, dark shots, and even some magic tricks that have no name and only preform when used in a way that can only be improvised. Silver Sora smiles, “I’d say give it up but we both know I’ll have to beat your heart into the dust, and even then you’ll probably be sending me angry glares the rest of our lifes. I command an understanding of the darkness that you can’t hope to match, as afraid of it as you are.” Sora smiles, “you’re just a projection made by Xehanort, you don’t know anything about me, or the friends I have.” The other Sora laughs at this, “what friends? Ventus? He’s trapped so deep in your heart he’ll never see the light, drowned in the darkness of sleep. Or did you mean Roxas, sorry buddy, but he’s out there now, you’re stuck here with me, and only me.” Sora smiles much to his clone’s confusion, then a voice behind him says “not as alone as you’d think.” Soranort barely has a chance to parry the incoming void gear, but it’s too late in doing so Xion and Sora join Vanitas and unleash a trinity limit, once the dust clears Sora’s keyblade goes through his opponent. Soranort smiles at him, “I see, looks like you won today,” his form dissolving he leaves the group with some final chilling words; “be seeing you.”

 

 

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

Xion screams as the maelstrom of darkness carries her off her feet only for a pair of strong arms to take hold of her once the darkness clears she notices that they’re standing in an empty void. “Thanks Ventus,” she says. A short and irritated “don’t call me Ventus,” is her rescuer’s response she nearly screams but the other shushes her, and points to where Sora’s engaging a white haired duplicate of himself. “He needs our help,” Xion looks at Vanitas surprised, “I thought you wanted this,” Vanitas just smiles, “it’s useful to let Ventus keep his little illusions for now. He can’t keep clinging to Sora, now are you going to help me oust this impostor or not?” He doesn’t wait for her answer, he’s already moving with dark purpose towards the station of heart.

 

After the battle ends Xion looks at Vanitas, she points her keyblade at him, “you better explain, now.” Sora puts himself between them, “listen, I don’t know who you are but Van’s helped me out a lot.” Xion flinches a little at this, Sora doesn’t know her, of course not, she’s a forgotten remnant, and even then she and Sora never actually met. “Sora, he’s trying to trick you, I don’t know what he did to Ventus but.” Vanitas cuts in, “he’s fine, I just loosened his grip and pushed him to the edges is all.” Vanitas rolls his eyes, “Ventus can’t handle the Realm of Darkness, and very soon he’ll need to find his way out of here.” Then he shrugs at her, “honestly, I don’t even know why you’re still here, if Roxas has been reborn then that means you should have been as well.” Sora looks between them, “can someone tell me what’s going on?” Vanitas makes a noise of contempt, “ask the thief, I’m done babysitting, and be fast you’re going to wake up soon.”

 

Sora looks at Xion, who looks absolutely miserable, “hey it’s okay, I’ll bug Vanitas into apologizing,” Vanitas makes an annoyed sound, “we’ll all get out of here soon, okay?” Xion shakes her head, “it’s not that, it’s just, I am who I am because I stole your memories a year ago, I don’t know if I can leave without damaging your heart.” Sora looks confused, “my memories, Naminé fixed that.” Xion shook her head, “only because what I took, and my existence with it, went back to you. Xemnas created me to keep you asleep.” Sora frowned at that, “then you deserve to be as much as anyone else.” Then he was hit with a wave of dizziness and nausea, “times up Puppet, say goodbye while you can.” Sora frowns “Vanitas… be… ni-” before it goes dark, Xion says something but he can’t make it out.

 

 

**60 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Roxas glares up at Lauriam, “Axle said you were destroyed at Castle Oblivion.” Lauriam chuckles, “yes, and that was Axle’s fault, if he hadn’t interfered we could have turned Sora against Xemnas and ended this whole debacle before it began.” Roxas is stunned, “you were planning to betray the Organization?” Lauriam’s expression goes cold, “you can’t betray what you were never loyal to, and it’s existence was antithetical to what I spent my entire existence and nonexistence trying to protect.” Then he moves over to just inside the mansion, “what have we here, another one?” Roxas looks past him and then gasps, laying in the charred grass just beyond the mansion’s destroyed gate is Xion. “XION!” he runs past Lauriam and tries to wake her up. “That wont do any good, her heart isn’t here.” Roxas turns to him, “what do you mean? She’s a nobody like us!” Then realizing what he said, “like me.” Luariam shrugs and picks Xion’s sleeping form up, “you’ll need to fill me in on the details, but she’s the second such patient I’ve seen.”

 

Roxas narrows his eyes, “second?” Lauriam smiles, “yes, so what’s one more in my care? I have some old associates of yours too. Perhaps not the best place to convene though.” Lauriam waves his free hand and a corridor of darkness opens. Roxas follows behind him at some distance, his keyblade never leaving his hand.

 

 

 

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora groans as he’s roughly nudged by something pointed and metal, “come on get up,” a stern voice orders. “Ouch, five more minutes mom,” the sharp metal nudges him more insistently and Sora opens his eyes staring down the length of a keyblade held by a very annoyed looking blue haired woman. He makes a strangled noise and backs up hands in the air, “whoa, not fair I was asleep!” The woman relaxes but doesn’t dismiss her keyblade, “sorry about that, I had to makes sure you weren’t something else.” Sora looks around, “so this is the realm of darkness then?” Sora asks and the woman nods, “yes, how’d you end up here?”

 

“Yeah, this might sound crazy but I was actually trying to get here. I’m Sora by the way.” The woman looks at him shock and recognition filling her face, “the King said it’d been ten years, but I almost couldn’t believe it.” Sora looks at her confused, “have we met before?” Then taking in the full meaning of her words, “the King?! You saw him, was a boy named Riku with him, how long ago?” The woman laughs “you remind me of a friend of mine, in order ‘yes we have met but I don’t think you were older than four or five at the time. Yes I saw the King, and he told me about your friends fighting for the light.’” Then her face falls “I don’t know how long ago, time doesn’t move here, he was here looking for a keyblade.” Sora’s face dawns in shock, “that was two years ago! You’ve been stuck here all this time? Why didn’t he or Riku comeback for you?” Then realizing that he and Riku had been stuck here, “I’m sorry, Riku and I were here for a little while a year ago, I didn’t know.”

 

The woman forces a smile and pats his head, “it’s alright, I don’t think Riku knew, unless the King told him. I’d already lost ten years to this place, what’s another two?” She probably meant it to be comforting but it makes Sora feel a little worse, he forces his own smile. “You know me but I’m sorry I don’t think I remember you.” She chuckles, I wouldn’t think so, we only met the once, “I’m Aqua, keyblade master from the Land of Departure.” Then as though realizing something for first time her eyes narrow with suspicion, “you said you were trying to get here, why?” Sora looks up at her in awe, an expression so open and earnest she almost can’t keep up her glare, he looks so much like Ven. “Uh, yeah, there are a couple of people I’m trying to help,” then he looks at her, “I guess you’re one of them.” Then she sighs, “you shouldn’t take this place so lightly, do you even know how to get out of here?” Sora frowns, “well no, but I can’t leave until I find a way to help Xion, and Ventus and-” Aqua rounds on him, “What did you just say?”

 

Sora groans, “they are the people who’s hearts are asleep inside me, I know that sounds crazy but between him Xion, Roxas and-” something tells him to leave off there. He covers himself by adding “and Naminé but she’s with Kairi not me.” Aqua lets out a breath and lowers her keyblade but Sora notices, doesn’t dismiss it. Then her eyes open and she casts thunder at an incoming darkball. “Alright we move now.” Sora and she are off and running.

 

 

**60 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Roxas follows Lauriam down a corridor lit by crystal globes, the city was fascinating, filled with light despite being entirely under ground, and according to Lauriam, a mile or so of ocean. The people were friendly, apparently Lauriam was something of a celebrity, “I was here a while back as a nobody, I helped them clear a few particularly unsavory heartless. This was before I joined the organization and had to keep looking over my shoulder for Xigbar.” Roxas stares at his back, “how long were you a nobody?” It sounded like he had some adventures to share. “I’ll answer your questions after I show you to the medical wing.” Roxas frowned, “your other patient.” Lauriam remains silent.

 

They enter a room that smells of herbs and antiseptic, there’s a man who looks different from the rest of the people here despite his clothes, he has large glasses and is bustling through three different sets of books. He frowns at Lauriam, “another one?” Then his eyes go wide as soon as he sees Roxas, “You’re awake?! But I just checked-” Lauriam silences him with an abrupt “ahem” moves over to an empty bed and lays Xion down on it. “Milo, this is Roxas, a former comrade in the organization, Roxas, Milo Thatch the last of an expedition from the surface, who evidently fell in love with the city.” Roxas shakes Milo’s hand, “ah, a twin to your other comrade?” Lauriam folds his hands behind his back, “I’ll know more once Roxas and I have a chance to speak, which I would prefer in private.” Milo throws up his hands, “fine, fine, I shouldn’t be late for dinner anyway.”

 

As soon as he leaves Lauriam chuckles, “you may not believe it but that was the head of the city council. His wife is their last royal.” Roxas balks, “and he’s playing nurse?” Lauriam uses magic to determine the stability of Xion’s form, “he likes to be helpful to the people here, not all leaders are as distant and cold as Xemnas.” Roxas considers his time in Beast’s Castle, and how perplexed he was to see the Beast defending his home in place of his servants. “I think I’m starting to get that.” Then curiosity overcomes him, there’s another figure occupying one of the other canopied medical beds. Roxas pulls back the veil and gasps stepping backwards. Lauriam is next to him, faster than he would have thought possible, “what the hell is this?” He glares at Lauriam, “his name is Ventus, his condition seems to be identical to Xion’s, something that shouldn’t be possible. His presence here shouldn’t be possible either though.”

 

Roxas glances back to his sleeping mirror image, “is this what you wanted me to see?” Lauriam nods, “yes, he’s a former comrade of mine from before I became a nobody, back when I wasn’t much older than you.” Roxas leans against the bed frame overwhelmed, “how’s that possible?” Lauriam moves over to one of the tables and begins taking some notes. “I’m not overly sure myself, he was only about eleven when he left our group. That he’s aged at all is as confusing as him having aged so little.” Roxas, looks at Lauriam again, “how long have you been a nobody?” Lauriam pauses in his work, “I don’t know honestly, after about fifty or so years I stopped bothering to keep count. At this point I believe I’d have to check historical records. My best guess would be between five and seven hundred years.” Roxas stares at the other man stunned.

 

Then the door bursts open, “Lauriam tell me you have something to do I’m soooo damned bored!” Larxene, _is she still going by that?_ Throws herself into Lauriam’s arms, “stop leaving me to be all secretive, you’re acting like-” she then seems to register Roxas. “You’re awake,” then she notices the sleeping figure, “Sora got himself turned into a heartless again?” Roxas frowns at her, “Larxene” Lauriam chides, _alright still Larxene, that’s easy at least_. “What?” She turns to Roxas, “babysitting duty back in the old days aside, I like you better than Sora.” Roxas lets out an exasperated sigh “I don’t know if I’m happy or annoyed to see that you haven’t changed at all.” Larxene looks slightly shocked, then smiles, “since when did you learn to mouth off? I blame Axle.”

 

Before the sniping can go any further the room is filled with at least half a dozen samurai nobodies. All clamoring to get a good look at Roxas, “looks like I’m not the only celebrity.” Lauriam says before throwing up his arms, “alright everyone out, San, if you and the others want to catch up with Roxas please do it while showing him to his room, this is a medical ward for the comatose not a ballroom.” With that everyone is being rather forcefully escorted out of the room by Lauriam, Roxas, and about three frustrated medical staff.

 

 

**61 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Took you long enough, need your beauty sleep princess? Kairi pointedly ignores Vanitas’ taunts today he’s not wearing his coat, he’s wearing something similar to Riku’s dark suit. His is red and black though and the skirt thing is slightly different. The dog monster that emerged from him the previous day has followed her around all night. “So this… thing came from you right?” Vanitas frowns, “ugh, yes, it’s called an unversed, and it’s like the minute people find out how they come into existence that’s the thing everyone wants to know about. What about me huh? I have feelings, too ya know,” then his pouting face turns into an evil smile, “in fact, one of those feelings has been following you around since yesterday.” Kairi freezes as her water bottle is half way to her mouth. “That thing’s what?” Vanitas just makes a “hoom” noise while swaying with his hands behind his head, a very Sora-like gesture. It’s hard to tell if he’s doing it on purpose, though he also seems to hate being compared to Sora, or to Riku, given how much he flipped when she told him how similar their fighting stances were.

 

Kairi smiles “well, if you wont tell me I’ll have to guess, you said it’s one of your feelings, your emotions? I saw it come from you so that seems as reasonable as anything. Now it follows me around almost everywhere I go, can you command it or do they just do what they want?” Vanitas’ shoulders slump and he puts his mask on, an awful looking full plate of glass, completely opaque and reflective. “Whatever, you ready for the tournament or what? Today’s the preliminaries and I’m not getting eliminated this early on.” He cracks is back and rolls his shoulders, getting an idea Kairi begins petting the unversed behind it’s ears, it makes low “wurf” and leans into the attention happily. Vanitas tenses, the whirls to face her, “STOP THAT!” Kairi simply arcs an eyebrow, the unversed flops over onto it’s back and she starts rubbing it’s belly. “What do you care,” Vanitas’ fingers twitch like he’s itching to summon his keyblade, there’s a hitch to his voice when he speaks. “If you’re going to do that at least wait until I’m far, far, away, like off world far, or I’ll reabsorb it and then no one gets anything.” Kairi sticks out her tongue at him as he walks away. Then she tosses a dream eater treat to the beast which happily takes the offering, earning a startled “bleagh” from Vanitas, who spends the next two hours sulking.

 

 

**60 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Larxene drapes herself over the couch in Lauriam’s room, “soooo, I know I’m into older men, but I gotta say, one hundred is pushing it, five hundred seems absurd.” Lauriam chuckles, and turns from the map he’s studying to her. “Eavesdropping Larxene, how gauche, didn’t I explicitly give Xigbar a hard time about that when he was spying on us?” Larxene pouts, the way her nose wrinkles ever so slightly could only be described as cute; though if anyone were to say that to her face she’s likely electrocute them. “Don’t compare me to Xiggy, that’s uncalled for and rude,” then Lauriam smiles and rolls up his map, placing it in a cylindrical messenger’s tube he hands it to her. “You can make it up to me by helping Roxas secure what’s on this map, it may be the best means I have for replacing those flimsy coats.” Larxene eyes the tube like it’s a venomous animal, “babysitting duty, really?” Lauriam just smiles, despite his practice at lying there is a genuine fondness to it. “You’ll be getting a present out of it too.” She takes it then rolls off the couch. “Fiiine,” she whines, “when are we leaving? I doubt he’s going to want to go right out into the worlds so soon after existing again.” Lauriam leans against his desk, “you are my partner in this, not my subordinate, I trust your decision.” She smiles a wicked smile. “Are you sure that’s wise Lau?” Without waiting for an answer she twirls on the ball of one foot and marches out the door.

 

 

**61 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“good boy Aelan!” Kairi praises the unversed, the first few rounds in the preliminaries went extremely well, with Vanitas and Kairi taking the lead in points, being closely followed by the team “All’s Fair.” Kairi is getting ready to give some confetti candy to the unversed she’s affectionately named Aelan. Vanitas looks at her gags and says, “I promise not to murder, maim, or otherwise severely harm non-heartless combatants if you promise not to give it anymore of those… things.” The last word is said with a drawn out revulsion Kairi’s started to think of as Vanitas’ “love and hugs voice.” Aelan looks attentively at the bag, ears perked in a very dog-like expression of hope. “Why? It’s not like you have to deal with it.” Kairi smiles while making a long show of fishing out a candy, Vanitas snarls, “except I do, I can taste, feel, smell, and if I’m really trying see and hear what it does if I’m on the same world. Is that what you wanted to know? So pleease wait until gone, pleeease!” Kairi smiles, “I get to decide what counts as ‘severe harm.’” Vanitas is clearly moping, “fine,” then he turns around clearly mumbling “they say darkness plays dirty.” Kairi puts the snacks away, she probably would have agreed if he’d just asked but she’s not going to tell him that. Aelan makes a sad whine when the treats disappear into Kairi’s pockets and Vanitas shoots his wayward emotion a glare, clear even though his face is hidden, “stow it, you can survive a few hours without any sugar.”

 

 

**57 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Roxas and Larxene exit the portal onto, a very nice back road beneath a spread of palm fronds. “Whoa!” Roxas looks around, “this place is so vibrant.” Larxene whistles as she looks around; “maybe this wont be so annoying after all.” Then she smiles, “hey Roxas, this is a fact finding mission right?” Roxas nods, eyes narrowed in permanent suspicion, the samurai at his side tenses. Larxene gestures over her shoulder, “why don’t we ‘investigate’ the beach.” Roxas looks past her at the white sand and crystal clear water, a smattering of tourists occupy the area. His eyes go wide and nearly tear up. “Race you!” he shouts as he takes off at a sprint towards the water, leaving a shocked Larxene behind. Getting over it quickly she yells “you’re paying for my drink when I win!” At which point she takes off in a lightening aided sprint.

 

Roxas is on the ground panting, and laughing, “all right all right, how much?” Larxene looks at the cabana menu and smirks, “about twenty munnie should cover a pitcher of margaritas.” Roxas looks at her, and she turns the smug smile on him full force, “of course you being underage don’t get any.” Roxas makes a disgusted noise and then hands her the pouch, San and the other samurai that opted to come with them are observing the town and other areas from hiding. “Don’t get wasted at least okay?” Larxene takes his money, “where did you learn these words? Last time I saw you, you were just a zombie.” She unfocuses her eyes and makes a brain dead face to illustrate her point. Roxas just frowns, “Axel, Xigbar, and Luxord were doing ‘vodka black jack’ all I know is Xion and I had to drag Axel back to his room and I ended up cleaning pyro-puke off my boots.” Larxene starts laughing, “oh my god, how did I miss that, oh right dead, please tell me you took pictures of his shame?” Roxas just turns away and says, “I’ll go ‘investigate’ the relevance of sand castles to our mission while you case the bar. Sound good?” Larxene hops up on a stool snaps at the bartender once to get his attention, “you know kid this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.”

 

Roxas explores the beach and watches several tourists build sandcastles for a competition, he sighs and looks out at the waves. “I wish Hayner and the others were here.” With Axel gone, the sham of his twilight town life, and any memories he has of a beach and friends being leftovers from Sora this small victory is bittersweet. It’s then an object collides with the back of his head, “ouch what the?” A finkelstien’s monster of spare parts and blinking lights roughly bound together in the shape of a star. He looks at it confused until a set of small blue claws rip it away from him. “HEY!” He shouts only to see one of the strangest creatures he’s encountered, and thinking back to the heartless variants he’s run across that’s saying something. The creature growls at him spikes bristling out of it’s back, only to stop blink then stare hard at him. “Ven? Fren Ven?” Roxas blinks, repeatedly, and dumbly. “Uh, I think you’re confusing me for someone else. I’m Roxas.” The blue thing jumps up onto his shoulders “Rosass; Rosass Ven fren?” Roxas chuckles, “sure, whatever, not like I have many of my own right now. It’s then a scream of rage cuts through beach, “uh oh, don’t tell me the bartender told her she’s had enough.”

 

 

**60 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Vanitas walks into the stark white Archive of Whispers and Shadow, Master Xehanort, Xemnas, Ansem, Xigbar, and Xehanort’s younger self are all gathered. “Uh, oh, did I miss someone’s birthday?” Vanitas quips only for a lance of agony to shoot through him as Xemnas binds him in the thorns of nothingness. Young Xehanort speaks, “Sora was here, we nearly had him, while you were out playing in the Colosseum.” Vanitas snarls and several mandrakes and scrappers flow out of him, Ansem’s guardian makes short work of them, all Vanitas’ energy is being put into holding in the Iron Imprisoner that wants nothing more than a rampage. Young Xehanort casts his eyes away. “Enough” Master Xehanort’s voice cuts through the noise, Vanitas gags once and staggers to his feet, “I’m sure our young Vanitas has a perfectly good reason for not being here.” Xehanort’s tone is dangerously civil, something that can only herald agony later. Vanitas swallows the bile along with his pride, “yes sir; the tournament they are holding is being used as an opportunity to train Kairi, and guess who happens to be partnered with her.”

 

Xigbar laughs, “oh? And she doesn’t run you through immediately why?” Vanitas allows his mask to dissolve and relishes the look on Xigbar’s face as his remark dies in his throat. “Answer enough for you?” Xigbar smiles and leans back, “you are a sick and twisted little puppy you know that?” Vanitas shrugs then turns to Xehanort, “besides, if Sora overcame the entire assembled organization to escape what would I have done?” Master Xehanort stands up hands clasped behind his back and a smile on his lips. “Sora has not escaped, my heart has found it’s final vessel, however, he will need to be retrieved from the Realm of Darkness. Vanitas nods his head, “may I return to the tournament Master? She and the others will become suspicious if I’m gone too long.” Xehanort nods, and Vanitas departs his report given. Then he looks over at his younger self, “keep an eye on him.” Young Xehanort departs without a word. “Now you,” he’s addressing Ansem, “I want you to continue monitoring Riku, if he and the King make it to the Realm of Darkness I want to be informed immediately. Xemnas, go to our number eleven, I want his devices ready for Luxord’s testing immediately.” Xemnas and Ansem both bow and take their leave. Xigbar watches him, “so what’s our next move?” Xehanort looks at him, “I want you to coordinate Braig and Saïx in trailing Maleficent, the evil faerie has yet one more part to play. She is searching for something, and once she’s found it, I want it stolen from her and brought here, understood?” Xigbar smiles and vanishes.

 

 

**57 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Roxas runs back to the bar in time to see a very angry Larxene being grappled by… a crying beach-bum? Stitch having hitched a ride on Roxas’ shoulders decides to hop onto the counter top next to a young girl, a clear native to the islands, she’s watching this whole seen with amused fascination. “Larxene, what’s going on?” The girl looks at him and says, “your friend punched my guardian.” Then she grins at the man and yells, “Nani’s gonna be soo mad that you were messing with the tourists again!” Larxene growls and there’s a pained yelp as the person falls to the ground convulsing with some residual electricity snapping through his hair. “That’s what I get for being happy you’re not dead? You really are the meanest witch in all the worlds.” Recognizing that voice, and the distinct mullet Roxas can’t keep the shock out of his voice, “DEMYX?!” Demyx turns and then immediately starts tearing up again. “Okay, hey, I’m glad to see you too just don’t-” Roxas starts only to have over a hundred forty pounds of leaky musician grab him and start crying again. “Oh my god, I thought everyone was dead, and then Sora killed me and it was the worst!” Roxas pats him on the arm, “Demyx or what ever your name is now, I’m giving you fifteen seconds of hug before I shove Oathkeeper up your nose.”

 

Demyx stops and steps back his hands up “rude! Oathkeeper’s the spikey one too. Also I have major ptsd for that one, you know that’s what Sora decided to cave my skull in with?” Roxas just stares at him, “wow, really feeling the love, also it’s Medy now, I haven’t been organization for almost a year. The muchkin with the map is my ward while her sister’s in town, Lilo. Lilo, Roxas, Roxas Lilo.” Lilo waves and Roxas notices the map she’s looking at is his, which Stitch seemed to have absconded with while he was distracted. “I know this place.” Larxene and Roxas both stare open mouthed, “that’s the place that the state department quarantined like forever ago after the mining accident, everyone says it’s haunted.” Larxene and Roxas exchange a look, “or has a guardian protecting a keyblade master’s artifact like Lauriam thinks?” They nod, Lilo grins, “I can show you if you want.” Medy snatches the map and turns around, “nope, I say no life threatening adventures and I’m the babysitter so it’s law!” Lilo jumps on to his back and clings to his shoulders, Stitch follows close behind and Medy has to fight to stay upright. “Okay, but then I tell Nani about the bag of ‘oregano’ you carry around.” Medy makes a horrified choking noise and Larxene cocks an eyebrow, defeated he looks at Roxas and whimpers “who wants to go on an adventure.” Larxene bursts out laughing, “I hate kids but you” she points at Lilo, “you I like.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to @chachacharlieco for the Soranort stuff, and @destiny-islanders (both are on tumblr) for the term Banjo-Boy which I will treasure forever as my leaky musician's nickname.


	10. Demon Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three teams, Sea and Shadow make their way through the tournament, despite meddling faeries, Sky and Water continue through the dark at the bottom of the world, and Lightening and Light find a relic of the past.

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

At first Sora didn’t see what was so frightening about a single darkball, until Aqua told him to take a look over the side of the bridge of rock they were dashing across. In the gorge below looked like what could have been a massive river of tar, save the glowing yellow eyes dotting it like stars. Some already starting to creep up the columns of stone holding up their exodus. “Eep” Sora says and starts running faster, the whole bridge shakes and below them several darkside heartless begin climbing the pillars, breaking large chunks off as they go. “Uh oh,” Aqua grabs his hood and drags him forward, “gawk on your own time!” Bit snipers surge out of the depths, they dive at Sora and Aqua, the two dispatch them quickly shattering the dropped health orbs and allowing the cure energy to revitalize them and close the cuts and scrapes. “You can probably guess now, but stay out of the underground.” Sora nods dumbly as they make their way across blasted planes to the and of the bridge, Aqua turns and summons a massive ball of flame launching it over the bridge it lays waste to the heartless by raining firaga down from it’s central core then targeting the central columns of it she unleashes several ice spikes that burst under the darkside’s claws and cause them to fall. Following her lead Sora uses several gravera spells on the bridge the strain causes it to plummet into the depths taking several heartless including one of the darkside with it.

 

Sora smiles then sits down to rest, but Aqua grabs his shoulder and hoists him up. “Not yet kid, those heartless aren’t going to stay down there forever, they’ll start scaling the walls until they lose our scent.” Sora nods and climbs to his feet, “is there anywhere to rest?” Aqua shakes her head, the forest is okay but there are other breeds there. Sora looks at her questioning, she sighs, “some places are, I don’t know closer to the light maybe? Or maybe the more solid heartless just get caught with a world when it falls, but some of them have these symbols on them. Most that fall in here are devoured by the solid black ones.” Sora nods, “yeah, those are emblems, I was wondering why we didn’t see any in here.” Aqua shrugs, “I can’t say for sure, I don’t usually see the more raw ones eat each other but when an emblem falls in here they just go berserk, sort of like when they sense light.” Sora thinks on this for a moment, “could it be because they aren’t natural?” Aqua lets out a bitter laugh, “nothing in this place is natural, look.” She points to the bridge and Sora notices that without the gravera spell weighing it down most of the larger rocks are rising back up as though they were nothing more than balloons. “Okay, that’s weird, but not what I meant. The emblem heartless are man made, they didn’t just come from the darkness, they were coaxed out of people’s hearts.”

 

Aqua looks at him with a cold gaze, “who would do something like that?” Sora’s own face hardens into an expression of anger, “Ansem.” Aqua stops, “the leader of Radiant Garden?” She sounds horrified, then Sora turns, “oh, uh, no, his apprentice, sorry, I sometimes forget he was just calling himself Ansem after he overthrew the real Ansem. No the one who created them is named Xehanort.” Aqua’s expression darkens further, “so he’s still out there.” She presses her hand to her heart, a tear falls down her cheek. “After everything we sacrificed, he’s still threatening the worlds.” She starts when Sora puts his hand on hers. “Don’t worry, once we get out of here, we’ll stop him, all of him.” Aqua looks at him with confusion, “all of him?” Sora looks sheepish, “oh sorry, uh, right, he’s kinda made an organization out of twelve incarnations of himself.”

 

Aqua looks positively horrified by this, “how?” Sora sighs and they walk down the nearby path, “well, I don’t know how the old guy turned into a younger version of himself. The version Ansem took as an apprentice, but he did.” Aqua’s eyes are down cast she as she listens, like she knows something painful. “That version turned himself into a heartless, that’s the one calling himself Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness.” Aqua’s lip curls in disgust, “he turned himself into one of those things?” “I wish,” Sora says, “no, he managed to stay fairly human, but that also means a nobody was created, Xemnas.” Aqua looks at him askance, “nobody?” Sora laughs, “you know about heartless but not nobodies?” Aqua frowns, “give me a break, I didn’t even know these things were called heartless until the king told me. I hadn’t seen them before I ended up here.” Sora gapes, “I thought the heartless had always been around.” Aqua shrugs, “perhaps on realms close to the darkness but I hadn’t heard of any in the realm of light proper. Maybe the master knew.” She looks sad, “I suppose I’ll have to check the archives for all of that now.”

 

Sora is quiet for a while, then he continues, “when a strong enough heart is captured by the heartless the empty vessel left behind sometimes acts with it’s own will and purpose. Most of them look like white or grey monsters, but some look like regular people, they were the original organization. Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, uh,” Sora loses count, “I know about Axel and Roxas but some of the others I’m fuzzy on.” Aqua pats him on the head, “it’s alright I get your meaning, but that’s only four.” Sora looks at her confused, “four?” Aqua shakes her head, “you said there were twelve Xehanorts.” Sora perks up “oh right, I thought I only mentioned three?” Aqua thinks a moment, “I suppose it stands to reason that the original person that Ansem and Xemnas came from would be one.” Sora considers this and nods, “Riku and the king were the ones who saw the assembled group, I was asleep, apparently Xehanort wanted to make me his last member, the creep.”

 

“Last member” she asks “why thirteen? I mean I guess if the old group had thirteen members.” Sora puts his hands behind his head and leans on a nearby tree. “Apparently he needs thirteen darkness wielders and seven light wielders to forge something called the χ-blade,” before he can finish Aqua throws a strike raid barely missing him, but the “tree” he’d been leaning against disappears in a puff of darkness, there’s a screech of pain in the distance. “Not all emblem heartless get consumed, some are strong enough to do the consuming, there’s one in this forest. Stay away from any flowers you see, don’t touch the trees and keep your distance from any and all vines.” Sora swallows and nods, she snarls, “sounds like Xehanort hasn’t quit his whole keyblade war scheme, when I get out of here I’m going punch all twelve of his faces and light him on fire.” Sora nods, “well Lea said that his old friend got turned into one of Xehanort’s vessels so maybe don’t light that one on fire.” Aqua sighs, “I think one of my friends is in the same position.” They walk onward in silence, “I know that Xigbar, the old organization’s number two is in the new one as well. I don’t know who the rest are...”

 

 

**59 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Vanitas enters the staging area, Kairi greets him and receives barely an acknowledgment in return, “someone’s grumpy today.” She tosses Aelan a shield cookie, the unversed happily snatches it out of the air. Vanitas doesn’t react, Kairi’s face goes from annoyed to worried, “you okay?” Vanitas walks towards the gate to the arena, “fine, I just remembered which side I’m on is all.” Kairi follows the sulking teen, “if you don’t want to be on their side then don’t.” Vanitas doesn’t turn around he just says “shut up,” and takes his position. Kairi sticks her tongue out at him, today’s the second day of the tournament proper, the semifinals and the final matches are all that’s left. Herme’s voice rings out across the stadium, “today we have a joint battle, team ‘Sea and Shadow’ will be partnered with team ‘Alls Fair’ against ‘Bad to Worse,’ and ‘Attack Dog.’” The crowd cheers.

 

 

**59 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Hades take his seat next to Maleficent, “so this black box, what’s so special about it.” Maleficent disinterestedly watches the spectacle before them. “A book that predicts the future is useful in and of it’s self, but the magic it has to construct copies of every world depicted is more useful still.” Hades whistles, “why bother conquering the worlds when you can make your own? I like it.” She smiles, “allow me to show what a single page from it’s magic can unleash, my henchman Pete, shall make this first fight something worth watching.” Hades smirks, “excuse me if I don’t hold my breath, he didn’t exactly impress the last few times I was stuck with him.” Maleficent’s smile does not waver but takes on a knowing quality.

 

From the shadows at the other end of the arena Pete pulls out a single battered page, “nowsa lets see here, she said to invoke thems in the name of darkness instead of light. Ahem, ‘thee invoke the names of old, Ira, Invi, Luxu, Aced, Ava, Gula, embrace their power, mourn for the lost’” Pete squints at the next line, holding up one hand as a dark cloud forms over it, “uh, for each that falls, the dark will grow and the evils of the world will waken and consume the light.” The cloud sinks into the ground and surges out ward, all the heartless in the holding area are charged with a dark energy, “heh, that ought to make for one heck of a show.” Then he pulls out a small crystal, “uh, ma’am it’s done, what do you wants me to do next?” Maleficent’s voice rings through the sphere, “must I do all the thinking for you? Follow the instructions to the next page,” Pete nods “uh, right-o,” he opens a dark corridor and walks through it.

 

 

**59 Days to Zero Hour**

 

A number of rabid dog, and a huge wolf like heartless in the middle of the crowd, with them are several neoshadows and an invisible. Two men in light armor wielding swords join Kairi and Vanitas, the first has spiked black hair, broad shoulders and wields a claymore. The second has cropped blond hair, a soul patch beard and a scar across his face. He’s holding an elaborate edged sword, his legs are protected by are covered by greaves the tops of which are crenelated like a castle. “You guys take the dogs we’ll handle the shadows.” Kairi nods and Vanitas makes a monosyllabic noise of affirmation. The four begin the battle. The rabid dogs move into fight Kairi while the wolf targets Vanitas. Kairi immediately opens with a barrier the rabid dogs bounce harmlessly off. Sparing a glance at Vanitas who’s using his blink ability to fake out the heartless’ vicious bite attack while parrying it’s claws. Kairi unleashes a blizzara spell, the frost blooms across the rabid dogs like morning glories and while they’re caked with rime and slow she moves in with a powerful set of keyblade strikes. The heartless collapse but instead of floating away the hearts fly to the wolf heartless and inside it. The shackles on it’s front paws shatter and it doubles in size taking on a feral aura.

 

Kairi dodges the last two rabid dogs and moves to Vanitas’ side, “don’t attack the little ones!” She shouts at the black haired man, but it’s too late, all four neoshadows have already fallen and the invisible turns a dark red color, the newly minted Orcus floats to the other end of the arena. It waves one clawed hand over it’s own shadow and a new invisible rises out of it. Vanitas looks at her, “werewolf first, I am not dealing with two of them!” Kairi nods and then focuses her magic on the end of her blade, “ready?” Vanitas nods and he and Aelan move around the feral heartless. Kairi shouts “light!” and unleashes the faith spell she’d been charging, the werewolf is hit by the beams and snarls in pain and hate it rears up to slash her only to be tripped by Aelan’s spin dash hitting it’s rear legs it goes down and Vanitas charges a dark haze and dive bombs the heartless, the beast collapses in on it’s self darkness seeping out of it along with the three hearts, unfortunately that just super charges the remaining rabid dogs. Vanitas ends his attack next to Kairi.

 

“Shadows of the stands below Hades’ skybox, don’t be obvious.” Kairi lets loose her lightbloom ability but subtly she looks towards the area Vanitas indicated, in the shadows is a white haired youth in a black coat. The chaos hound her attack hits is weakened but it enters a berserk state and charges her, Aelan pounces over her head and brings the hound down, Vanitas quickly draws his hand across his keyblade, blood flowing into the blade turning into a deep red dark energy on contact Vanitas swings his blade and the second chaos hound meets it’s end before the hearts of the first can flow into it. The black haired man does something similar but he hits the orcus with a large number of sword strikes pushing it into the invisible, then he backs off and the blonde enters a battle stance Kairi doesn’t recognize a torrent of flame forms behind him. The fire coalesces into a ring of swords that impale both the remaining heartless before exploding the audience shies away from the heat but the heartless are incinerated. After a moment of silence the audience cheers.

 

 

**59 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Hades lets out a low whistle, “that was enjoyable, but your heartless seem to have bit the dust.” Maleficent leans back, “only round one has been decided, we shall see how this battle ends now.”

 

 

**59 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Kairi runs over to Vanitas and castes cure the green light that infuses him closes the wound on his arm but causes him to double over. “Watch it princess!” Kairi puts her hands on her hips, “heart of darkness or no that move is way to reckless.” Vanitas, grunts, “I wasn’t willing to see what that last dog was going to turn into with all of those hearts. The other two walk over to them, “woah, that was intense. Sorry about that, but I think someone’s meddling.” He jerks his thumb towards Hades’ skybox, “it’s just his style, using the games to make little ‘accidents’ happen.” He turns back to them, “I’m Zack by the way, the grump with the fire swords is Basch.” Kairi shakes his hand and returns Basch’s nod, “I’m Kairi, the kid in the mask is Vanitas, thanks for your help.” Zack looks at Vanitas hard for a minute, “nah, couldn’t be.”

 

Vanitas jumps in front of them and yells “Kairi barrier now!” Kairi doesn’t hesitate, the released hearts still don’t disappear instead they hit some sort of barrier around the arena then fly back to the center, the dark mist gathers around them until finally an enormous vortex of shadow opens up, Basch and Zack move into her barrier and all four stand back to back as a massive column of seething darkness erupts from the middle of the vortex. It takes a minute for Kairi to realize it’s not just darkness, it’s a writhing swarm of shadow heartless, all moving in a single hoard and with dark purpose, the barrier around the arena collapses when the swarm hits it and the shadows begin moving into the crowd wreaking havoc and destruction where they go.

 

 

**59 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Young Xehanort had been planning to stay and watch the tournament, no matter the reason for being sent here. _The way they fight, a heart of pure light and of pure darkness, they’re beautiful, I wish that I could keep this memory_ he thinks to himself. The demon tower’s appearance forces him to abandon the field however, taking a moment look back his eyes lock with Maleficent. Her smile turns to one of smug satisfaction, “run back to your master child, I am his pawn no longer, if I see him or any of his minions this.” She gestures to the heartless swarm laying waste to the arena. “Will be but a taste of the suffering they shall endure.” Young Xehanort doesn’t look way from her as he backs through a dark portal, narrowly avoiding one of the demon tower’s strikes.

 

 

**59 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Vanitas, Kairi, Zack, and Basch are fighting at their limit, every time the demon tower seems cornered it dives into the ground only to resurface elsewhere. Luckily the civilians were evacuated, every one of them that fell was a new heartless to replenish the swarm’s numbers. The previous battle also seems to have exhausted the groups magic and items. Kairi throws up a barrier, and Vanitas unleashes a strike raid past her. “Kairi,” Vanitas says between breaths, “I have an idea, but it’s dangerous and I don’t even know if it’ll work with you.” Kairi looks at him, “we can’t keep going like this, let’s hear it.” Vanitas nods at her, “I’m about to use the last of my magic in a dark spiral, I want you to use lightbloom when I do it, since your heart is pure light it might just be enough to cause a dark link.” Kairi nods, “and that’ll beat this thing?” Vanitas shows a wry smile, his helmet is missing almost half the plate and his face is lacerated, whether by the shards of his mask, heartless claws, or debris is impossible to say. “It killed me once.” Kairi doesn’t ask she just readies her lightbloom, Vanitas charges and releases his own dark energy, Kairi can feel her heart respond to the presence of Vanitas’ darkness.

 

“NOW!” They both let go, power that once clashed with enough force to shatter a heart and the ultimate weapon now weaves together. In the radiance unleashed Kairi can see something, the outline of what could be a sword with an X-shaped cross guard. The image vanishes as the twin beams of darkness and light spiral in a double helix violent energy crackling between them. The helix hits the demon tower and the world goes still, light envelops the tower which is an utterly black silhouette against it. The whole thing fades and with it the demon tower, wiped from the realm of light. The portal of darkness is gone as well, a sinister cackle echoes across the arena but afterwards it’s completely silent.

 

Kairi’s about to collapse when a pair of arms grabs her around the waist and lift her into the air. “We did it! You and me, and that light of yours!” Vanitas sounds slightly manic, like that last attack had shot him full of adrenaline and endorphins. Which knowing Vanitas it probably did, he’s laughing and spinning, and Kairi’s pretty sure he’s trying to make her sick. “Van, Vanitas,” more laughing, more spinning, “VANITAS!” Vanitas freezes and seems to realize what he’s doing, Basch pointedly looks the other way while Zack gives him a thumbs up. He drops her, she catches her self, though clearly a little wobbly. Kairi looks at his exposed face which is so red it reminds her of the time Sora stayed out all day without sunscreen. A rabbit like unversed and a humanoid unversed with long claws almost finish materializing before he reigns them into himself. “Whatever,” he turns away, Kairi sighs, “that other organization person might have seen.” Vanitas looks at her like she’s crazy, “first, Xehanort high tailed it when that thing showed up, second we’re enemies princess, if Master Xehanort gets his leathery jowls in a twist over this and kills me for it that’s one less person for you to worry about and a kayblade war averted.” Then he thinks for a moment, “at least for now.”

 

Kairi marches up to him, jabs her hand into his chest and says, “maybe I don’t want you to die.”

 

 

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

The realm of darkness is a quiet world, there seem to be areas where the heartless become placid, or they are well fed. Whatever the reason when they aren’t getting attacked the world is quiet, and while a bit eerie, it also has a strange alien beauty to it. Sora decides to say as much, Aqua looks at him askance, “I suppose… I could do without all the heartless though.” Sora laughs, “sure, but I mean look at it, I’ve been to a lot of places, but I don’t usually get to see small mountains floating above rivers that are stopped mid flow.” Aqua frowns out at the world around them, “it’s all the devastation of a world though, every river here is a river lost from a world consumed by darkness.” Sora walks over to a small stream and fills a canteen from it’s still water. “Maybe,” Sora seems thoughtful, “I mean, I know some of the places here are worlds lost to darkness. Some of them though, they seem part of it. That mountain, and the ice flows over there for example. The don’t have the same blasted look as the path we’re on.” Aqua follows his hand, “of course not, this place has it’s own nature to it too. I may not like darkness, but it’s in every heart, it’s a part of the worlds.”

 

Then she smiles, “that also looks like a good place to camp for the night.” Sora gives her a curious look, “those areas tend to have more docile heartless populations. The places that used to be part of the realm of light seem to agitate them.” Sora takes this in and seems to lose himself in thought…

 

 

**57 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Lilo led the way through the thick jungle foliage, “it’s over here, the state department closed it down after there was some sort of accident, collapse or something. I only know Nani sent me to my room and banned Elvis for a week last time I went in there.” Larxene smirks, “let me guess after that a bunch of spooky ghost stories started cropping up? People are so dull, and predictable.” Roxas just kind of sighs, “I’m just glad I haven’t seen anything worse than a creeper plant here.” Medy taking up the rear merely continues to mope and occasionally cower. The group arrives at an opening, an old mine evidently over grown and with a number of do not enter signs on boards over the entrance. Medy holds up his hands and smiles, “aw too bad all blo-” Larxene kicks in the boards and marches into the opening followed by Lilo, Medy’s face makes a very interesting expression while Roxas pushes him along, “c’mon banjo-boy you can cower in fear inside the dark creepy hole in the ground just as well as you can out here.”

 

Medy looks down at Roxas, “how did becoming part of Sora make you more mean?” Roxas just shoots Medy a look that promised murder, “remind me Medy, why aren’t you still Demyx, and who was responsible for that?” Medy just stares at Roxas while the other walks into the mine without a backward glance. He looks around, “jeez, that boy needs a better influence than Larxene in his life.”

 

After many twists and turns and several dead ends the group comes to a large cavern the only light comes from an opening maybe ten or fifteen feet up. Medy looks around frantic, “guys, where’s Larxene?” The group also looks around only to jump as a blood curdling scream echos through the chamber, Roxas has his keyblade at the ready and Medy runs and hides behind him while Larxene laughs from the crevice she’d hidden behind, “you shocked me, you awful, evil woman!” Medy screams at her from the safety of hiding behind Roxas who sighs, “well at least that’s over, Larxene, you not being in eyeshot at all times is the scariest thing here,” he deadpans. “Hey there’s a glowy shadow portal,” Lilo points out and sure enough exactly that appears where the symbol on the wall had been it pulses as Roxas brings his keyblade closer. “It’s reacting to the keyblade?”

 

Roxas puts two fingers in his mouth and lets out a sharp whistle, his samurai appear near instantly. “Be ready for anything guys.” The samurai draw their swords and in a whiff of ozone Larxene has a knife between each knuckle. He looks at Lilo, “uh these guys are my friends,” gesturing to the samurai. Lilo gives him a most unimpressed look, “you’ve met my dog,” Stitch just opts to grin. With that the group steps through the portal. Beyond is a much larger chamber with huge vaulted ceilings and an ornate set of script over what looks like a royal’s simulacrum. The group  approaches the middle only for a rasp, like creaking metal and drifting sand to fill the air.

 

_Survivor… no longer… tomb… thieves…_

 

Once the  echo of the words dies away the simulacrum bursts and a set of armor worn by age and with small flowers, lichen, and moss growing in the cracks. It lumbers forward, despite it’s decrepit appearance it’s fast and deadly. It summons a keyblade and Roxas only has just enough time to throw a barrier and shout to his samurai to protect Lilo.  The armor opens by disappearing flower petals fall from the sky and Roxas’ barrier is shattered as it appears behind him the keyblade breaking his barrier at an unfathomable speed. It turns around and a circle of swords made of light appear behind it, the swords launch at Roxas, it deflects an attack by Larxene  and responds with five arcs of lightening charged crescents. Larxene takes the hits and grins, “you’re getting on my nerves!” she surges forward like a bolt of lightening,  then three Larxenes appear around the armored figure each laughing and diving into it before a column of lightening hits it. The figure pulls out a handful of gems crushes them and the dings in it’s armor begin to knit together like cure magic.

 

It grabs one of the Larxene copies and throws it into the second, the third flickers and Larxene is made whole. The figure then surrounds it’s self in a pillar of light and several large blades that each point downward they hit Larxene and she’s tossed into the wall with a heavy thud. Then it summons an ethereal blade much like one of Xemnas’ in its unoccupied hand and charges Roxas who throws a strike raid. The skill deflects much of the dark energy, but the figure replaces it with light and then spins in an arc two blades slicing through the air. Roxas can’t dodge in time, but a samurai throws it’s self between them the attack shattering it’s swords. “NO!” Roxas shouts but it’s too late the ephemeral form of the samurai is already being claimed by darkness. “It was… an honor… my liege,” it disappears entirely.

 

_ No life… only  death … war… keyblade...keyblade...keyblade...keyblade...keyblade...keyblade...keyblade...keyblade...keyblade...keyblade...keyblade...keyblade...keyblade… _

 

It begins moving in a more erratic fashion, slicing at enemies that aren’t there and dodging attacks that aren’t thrown. It unleashes lightening and wind and beams of light, Lilo and Medy help Larxene to her feet, more gems appear in it’s hand and Roxas prepares to fight again. Stitch throws a boulder crushing the gauntlet  holding the gems beneath it and forcing the armor to rip off it’s own arm. It’s movements return to the  cold calculating earlier ones, a s it stares at it’s missing arm, a jagged hole leaking dust as it moves. It holds the stump out and a shining blade of energy appears over it. It unleashes another spinning attack this time one of pure light, this time Roxas can sense the light he grabs the hilt of the blade with no hand to keep hold of it, Roxas  t akes it easily. The figure looks confused for a minute but then Roxas dives into it his keyblade countering it’s  keyblade and the energy blade piercing it’s chest plate. A burst of sand and dust explodes outward. “Roxas,” Larxene’s voice rings out, and Roxas dives to the side. One of Larxene’s knives embeds itself in the armor’s interior through the hole Roxas made. She smiles and snaps her fingers a pillar of electricity hits the armor and several ball lightening appear and are drawn to it.

 

Once the light fades, the armor staggers forward a step. “Still?” Larxene and Roxas ready themselves the remaining samurai surrounding them. In the broken half of it’s visor Roxas can almost make out a face.

 

_ Thank… you… _

 

The armor goes still, and then collapse s it’s keyblade and pieces hitting the ground. “I guess we have the relic we came here for...” Roxas picks up one of the gauntlets.  Medy walks up to him, “what was that?” Roxas shrugs, then frowns at him, “did you lose your powers when you reformed? Because you weren’t a lot of help.” Medy looks incredibly nervous, “I was totally cheering you on, like old times, give me a-” Roxas kicks him in the shin, “SAVE IT!” Medy yelps and holds his leg, “Lets just get back, Nani’s already gonna kill me” he whines.

 

 

**57 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Medy ran on ahead since Larxene was fuming as much as Roxas over his inactivity during the fight so the group is walking back without him. When they get to the beach there’s a panic, many people are running in the other direction, and once the y get closer Roxas can see why. Xigbar, or a man who looks like him, given the shorter hair, has his arrow guns to the heads of two people, a man and a woman, the woman looks a lot like Lilo but older. “NANI” Lilo shouts but not-Xigbar just tuts  at her  in reprimand, “ah, ah, munchkin, not a step closer or your sister and her boy friend get ventilated.” He looks at Roxas, “well, well, the old coot was right, you’re back now, tip-top form too I hope. And look,  S parky’s even with you!” His smile get s colder  and more cruel, “I’d offer you a position in the new group, but we went and filled up with people who aren’t traitors, so sorry. That said, Roxas, you come with me to meet the less-than-wonderful wizard and I’ll let these fine people go. No muss, no fuss.”

 

Roxas’ mind is racing, “why should I?  I don’t know these people,” he holds his hand to Lilo, and moves her behind him. “Ha,  as if ! See my intel says otherwise about that, said her younger sister was hanging out with you. You wouldn’t want to get your new friend’s family killed would you?” not-Xigbar shoots the man in the shoulder, “David!” Nani shouts. Roxas tenses, and not-Xigbar’s smile grows, “how about you stop wasting both our time with bluffs and just come here yeah?” Roxas snarls but steps forward, his samurai calling for him to come back all rushing  from hiding , but several sniper nobodies appear and prevent them from getting closer.

 

Roxas tenses once he’s close enough, then to the side someone yells, “dance water dance!” Not-Xigbar looks over shocked and Roxas dives forward throwing up a barrier as a shadow falls over the beach. Not-Xigbar turns towards  a wall of water, he opens a portal behind himself, “I may have made an error.” Before he cans step through  it the wall falls.

 

 

**57 Days to Zero Hour**

 

In the gray area Xigbar looks up from the game he’s playing as a torrent of water spills from an open portal and Braig is carried with it. “No Roxas huh?” Braig coughs and vomits a small amount of water and bile on the floor. “No, but Larxene and Demyx are alive. Also protip, don’t piss off a hydrokinetic at the beach.” Xigbar nods, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was supposed to have some major plot stuff, I think it ended up a kinda bridge chapter with some of the more major stuff happening next chapter. Still I hope you enjoy it.


	11. Unicornis Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I apparently enjoy pain have the person whose emotions show up as literal monsters having a war flashback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is definitely the chapter where the timestamps I use as breaks are going to be something to pay attention to.

**57 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Roxas and Larxene heavily drop the bag on the table, and scowl at Lauriam, “hmm? You were both successful why the long faces?” Roxas irritably taps his foot and Larxene snarls, “did you know there was an insane revenant down there?” Lauriam raises an eyebrow, “a what?” Roxas gestures to the armor, “that tried to kill us.” Lauriam looks concerned, “that, is not what I expected to hear, I should have anticipated it I’m sorry.” Roxas clenches his fists, “sorry? One of my samurai is dead Lauriam, I almost died.” Larxene sighs, “I’m with the munchkin on this one, though I’ll admit I’m also feeling pissy because Xigbar dropped in and decided to hold people hostage and now I have Medy, Demyx’s equally useless whole self, saying he wants to help.” She makes a disgusted noise, “apparently having a heart makes him want to do something noble.” Lauriam runs his hand over the armor frowning at it’s condition, “Roxas, the reason I had you bring this is because Muramasa, your assassin friend, thinks he might be able to synthesize your own set of armor, should you bring a subject for him to study.” Roxas’s face shows his revelation, “that’s why we had to get this.” Lauriam nods, “indeed, Larxene while you are not a keyblade wielder, I could have a set commissioned for you as well. Unfortunately it wouldn’t be as easily dismissed as Roxas’, additionally I will not begrudge help, if Medy truly desires to be of assistance I will allow him.” He turns his back to them and uses an exposed pipe with a flap on it to call down to Muramasa. Then he looks at Roxas, “as soon as your armor is done I have another task for you. Because their conditions are similar I am concerned about Xion, I would like you to go to Castle Oblivion and see if you can find Vexen’s research data, doing so may have the key to waking her and possibly Ventus too.” Roxas nods and then leaves.

 

 

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora sleeps uneasily, the Realm of Darkness has ways of playing with one’s fears, it seems to react to what someone expects of their darkness. Sora hasn’t had to deal with much, his darkness isn’t really something he’s considered, that had been what made him vulnerable to Xehanort. Now that he is considering it though it’s hard to think about. How much of his guilt and regret are his? How much has Vanitas’ darkness been influencing him? What is darkness? He didn’t seem to feel anger or hate coming from it, sometimes worry, but that felt more like him worrying about it than worry or fear coming from it. Aqua wakes him up for his turn on watch after an indeterminable amount of time. The most concerning thing about the Realm of Darkness was the fact that he hadn’t heard or sensed Vanitas since they entered.

 

 

**57 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Vanitas and Kairi have been stuck for the last forty eight hours, give or take, Vanitas being annoyed tends to round up. Kairi tries to be accurate, it’s more like thirty six, but it’s still tiring. Apparently the whole pantheon, not keen on a second Colosseum rampage and the repairs from it, have decided to thoroughly investigate it. This means interviews, especially thorough interviews, especially for Vanitas, as a heart of darkness he was a candidate for having cast whatever magic caused the heartless to go berserk. Kairi had to stifle a chuckle when Vanitas had very irritably asked why he would “sabotage his own fucking match and nearly get himself killed?” Then he went on a different tangent and his language got even more colorful and Kairi came to the irrefutable conclusion that face and occasional body language aside, Sora and Vanitas are so dissimilar she wonders how she ever compared them. Luckily even with the cancellation of the tournament Kairi, Basch, Zack, and even Vanitas were all getting honors and the title of “hero” for their efforts in saving the lives of those watching during the attack. Vanitas burst out laughing when the news came down alongside him being cleared of suspicion.

 

Grinning he turns to Kairi, “that’s one hell of a one-eighty! Also I know a lot of people who are going to flip their shit. I wonder if I can get them to give me a certificate, a doctorate in hero-ing or something.” Kairi just leans back and smirks at him, his eyes narrow, “don’t look at me like that! Why are you looking at me like that?” Kairi can’t help but feel a little smug, “because Van; you earned it.” Vanitas recoils like she’d just turned her whole face inside out in front of him and hisses, “lies! Lies and slander! How can a Princess of Heart spew such vile filth!” Kairi just sticks her tongue out at him and continues to look smug.

 

 

**57 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Xehanort is hiding in Radiant Garden when Luxord finds him. The older chronomancer sits down next to him. “I wont tell where you’re hiding, but your older self is not happy, you were expected back hours ago, Braig and I were both dispatched to find you.” Xehanort sighs, “I’ll be getting another mark of failure wont I?” Luxord frowns and looks out towards the market stalls, “that’s very likely.” Xehanort sighs, “I’ll comeback, it’ll only be worse otherwise, but, can I just, not, for a little bit?” Luxord nods, “want me to wait with you?” Xehanort nods, and they sit there for a while in silence.

 

 

**57 Days to Zero Hour**

 

“You were asked to keep an eye on Vanitas, you abandoned that mission, and went off without my leave for nearly two days. Why? Because a former tool of _ours_ ,” Xehanort stresses the word ours, he’s speaking calmly, but he’s using the inflections to show he’s mad. His younger self is sitting at a white table in one of the lower sections of the castle that never was. “Maleficent is of no consequence, no matter what spell she used, she’s just an obsolete has-been trying to claw out relevance she hasn’t had for years. You were afraid of her.” It’s not asked, it’s stated, after all, Xehanort’s just talking to himself. There are no questions here, just statements about himself, like talking to a mirror. He sighs, “I knew this day would come, he pulls off his gloves and reveals a fine set of scars that twist like roots across his hands. Young Xehanort flinches, just like the pale frost bite scars on his own back, and thus, by extension his older counterpart’s, he knows how the older man got them.

 

His hands are in front of him, they’re trembling, he tries to hide it, tries to get them to stop, but he can’t. Electricity crackles in the elder Xehanort’s finger tips, his younger self screams.

 

 

**57 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Luxord is bandaging young Xehanort’s hands, he’s given the teen a potion, anything more though and it’s likely the old man would not see it as a “thorough” lesson. Luxord sighs, and Xehanort breaks the silence, “I’m not a masochist.” It’s a cold statement, like a doctor observing some quirk in a patient’s physiology. “I don’t enjoy pain, that means this is a lesson. Discipline, a reminder of consequence for my actions.” Xehanort shrugs, “Something to ruminate on, thank you for the medical assistance, how long until I have regained dexterity in my hands?” Xehanort is talking like this whole event is mundane, everyday even, Luxord pours himself a scotch, “a week, less if you don’t strain it.” Xehanort nods and leaves. Luxord slams his drink back, mutters “bloody hell” to himself and pours himself a second.

 

 

**56 Days to Zero Hour**

 

After the ceremony Kairi and the rest are taken to one of the inner halls, the so called “hall of heroes.” Vanitas lets out a low whistle, apparently they’ve just finished the installation for Sora, being as patient as ever had left before he could get the ceremony treatment. “His loss,” Vanitas remarks, Zack chuckles, Kairi sighs, “if he’s not sleeping until two in the afternoon he’s off and running away,” she grins, “you can bet I’ll be teasing him about this later.” _I could get used to this, a bed, meals, people talking to me instead of trying to kill me_ , Vanitas keeps these thinks to himself.

 

The hall is decorated with heroes from the past, Herakles and Sora are merely of the most recent, there are smaller plaques dedicated to Terra and Aqua with a brief mention of Ventus. A not-so-small spiteful part of Vanitas appreciates this, _look who’s getting a big hero award golden boy._ If Vanitas had still been a part of Sora he’d take this as a moment to directly rub Ventus’ face in it, no matter, there will be time later. Looking over the statues distracts Vanitas long enough that he fails to notice the keyblade until it’s in his face, mounted to the far wall, left in safe keeping. It sparks a glimmer of memory, one that makes him retch.

 

_Overcome by grief, I can’t believe none of the others would let me take it otherwise. The dust is just settled, meeting each other at the cross roads for the first time. Two intersecting paths, a negetive space where no keyblades fell, it’s too morbid to leave them here, memorial or no. Too cold here, the ground still damp from the rain, only one survivor, none of the masters, all of them are gone. Later, a new master, the last of them, last apprentice of the true master, I reach for Luxu, his experiment yanks the ground from under me. “MASTER HELP ME!” Luxu reaches for me, but it all goes black._

 

Vanitas is pulled from these flashing images by Kairi shouting at him and pain searing through his body and mind. More negativity feeding these emotions, “STOP” Vanitas shouts as much at the other two as his unversed, the command thrown into it causes everyone to freeze. Vanitas calms his breathing and pulls the unversed back into himself, feeling the negativity swirl into the seething mass of memories he thought locked away, it takes all his self control to keep it that way. Before anyone can say anything he opens a corridor around himself and is in the darkness between worlds. There he unleashes a torrent of suppressed emotions. Gripping his arms while the storm rages inside him, his manifested inhuman traits cutting into himself. The unversed raging around him in tune with his emotions are not the clean ones given form based on little pictures or ideas, they are the raw and twisted creatures that tore their way out of him during his first days of life.

 

Once his breathing has calmed down, he’s mostly managed to block out the pain with only the strongest of his emotions, despair, fatalism, hate, regret, grief, and guilt pacing around the empty darkness between. Vanitas stands up and glares out at them. “That’s enough, you idiots are MINE!” Emphasizing his tone of authority by absorbing them one by one, each emotion rushing back into him. He looks down at his hand and says, “never forget that.” He walks back into the dark, in no mood to deal with Xehanort pitching a fit because he’s late again.

 

 

**56 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Xehanort is trying to eat with his bandaged hands when the subtle rush of air signaling a dark corridor grabs his attention. He sighs and puts his dinner at arms reach, standing he goes to find Vanitas exiting the portal, he’s about to launch into a lecture when he notices the very slight trickle of blood and darkness seeping from wounds on his arms and the bleak look on his face. “What happened to you?” Xehanort asks while he walks up to Vanitas waving a cure spell over his arms, careful not to accelerate his own wounds healing, still using that magic does have the effect of dulling the ache. Vanitas grabs his wrist careful of the bandaged areas but still strong. “Old wounds, what about you?” The way he asks it promises violence, Xehanort pulls his hand from Vanitas’. “Punishment for failing to keep an eye on you, I know you saw me during the fight. I decided that… secrecy, was more important than observation, Master Xehanort disagreed.”

 

Vanitas snarls, “in other words you didn’t want to get caught up or injured in a battle that wasn’t yours and Xehanort being a paranoid old crybaby threw a hissy fit.” He grabs young Xehanort again then holds his wrists, tight, there’s a brief pain but then it’s over. Vanitas elected to use cure to finish Luxord’s work. “If he has a problem with this, I’ll take responsibility,” Vanitas answers before Xehanort can ask. “If he notices he’ll do worse to you, possibly me,” there’s no worry in Xehanort’s voice, just calm acceptance. Vanitas moves his grip to Xehanort’s shoulder and leans in, too close, too… intimate. “Keep the bandages on, and avoid anything strenuous and he wont notice,” Vanitas whispers into his ear. “What are you doing?” Xehanorts hisses, his older self’s brutality, Xigbar and Braig’s machinations, any number of the laundry list of behavior from his other incarnations is expected. But this closeness, this defensiveness towards him, this, dare he call it affection? From a creature like Vanitas, a heart of pure darkness with only Xehanort and Sora’s hearts to keep his form stable, is it possible. Vanitas smirks, despite the dark promises in that look, the allure of what can only be described taboo, what should be Vanitas’ only motivation, also has genuine warmth and fondness in it. “You made me right? Why don’t you tell me?”

 

Xehanort tenses, and immediately Vanitas backs off, he keeps his cocky smile but there’s a tension to him that seems, _disappointed? No, worried, since when have I become so keen on Vanitas’ body language?_ Xehanort asks himself. A month ago he’d have asked Ansem, or his older self. A month ago, even in spite of their cruelty they were the only options. A month ago he wouldn’t assume they’d use it to control either Vanitas or himself. Vanitas’ smile turns apologetic, “I should make my report before Gramps gets his panties in a twist.” He’s gone, treachery, and brutality are second nature here, of course kindness is shocking, Xehanort composes himself and returns to his meal. No longer having trouble trying to eat.

 

 

**55 Days to Zero Hour**

 

The Hero’s Hall is quiet and dark, the small moonlight filtering through one of the high windows offers a little light to see by. Good thing then that the cloaked figure, whose hood shrouds his face is uniquely equipped to see in the dark. The keyblade mounted at the end of the hall is long and while faded and grayed by time and wear it’s still fairly white in some places. The starburst pattern at the end is broken at the end. The keychain is still intact, looking at the eye makes him want to throw up. Carefully he takes it off it’s mount and places it on the ground. “I’ll make a lot of noise if you don’t explain right now Vanitas.” He tenses at his own name, “ah, Kairi, I was hoping you’d be gone or in bed by now.”

 

Kairi puts her hands on her hips and sighs like a disapproving parent, _what makes her think I’m okay with that attitude?_ Vanitas thinks, though it’s likely Kairi is having the same thought. “You lose control and release a lot of unversed, run off through the corridors, then come back and try and steal the keyblade that caused you to go berserk? You have explaining to do, so unless you want to be for real arrested I’d say get to it.”

 

“I’d rather not, explain I mean, it’s extremely personal, and I’m not stealing this keyblade, I was planning on shattering it.”

 

Kairi walks over to him, “why?”

 

“It’s a relic, a relic from a time when horrors like what Xehanort wants to unleash were common. Please don’t ask me more about it, I- I’ll tell you were Sora is. Gramps has his suspicions, but I know, just please.” He looks at her, actually pleading, “don’t make me explain more.”

 

Kairi nods, Vanitas continues “I’m not sure what effect destroying this keyblade will have, particularly on me. Sora’s in the Realm of Darkness, I can tell you he’ll get out, but it would be a good idea to get Riku and the King on standby.” Vanitas raises Void Gear over his head and brings it down…

 

 

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

Vanitas lands on a station of heart, it’s cracked and there are portions missing, what’s there is held together by darkness. He looks over, and a small purple cat-like creature steps out of the dark. _You’ve come, it is not time to awaken though. You are different, there is much darkness within you, good._ Vanitas smirks and swings his keyblade over his shoulder, “all darkness, not much darkness, I thought you were supposed to know these things instinctively.” His cocky smirk goes serious in a heartbeat, “nightmare.”

 

The creature cocks its head and gives the impression of a shrug, _we shall see_ , Vanitas’ keyblade disintegrates the eyes within it floating over to the nightmare, joined by the eye in the keychain he’s trying to destroy. They orbit behind the nightmare in front of him, darkness swallowing them up, when the darkness clears the nightmare has taken on a much more monstrous form. Combining elements from the creature it was and the keyblades it stole, the master’s and Vanitas’ own. _Well half-breed? Shall we finish this so I may return this one to slumber?_ _W_ _ould you please die?_ It strikes out fast and deadly with it’s spindly crystalline arms, Vanitas charges it.

 

Vanitas dodges only to be struck by a beam of dark energy launched from one of the eyes. _Disappointing,_ the eyes shoot at once. Vanitas disappears before being hit. Unleashing a dark firaga, the beast deflects it. _You can do nothing, your keyblade is a product of his research, as such it is mine. Our creator set me to guard this one’s sleep, you shall not disturb it. You cannot win._

 

Vanitas looks at the thing in front of him, “the old me would indeed be screwed. Xehanort’s keyblade would only make you stronger. But I have something better now, long ago we forged bonds with those from light and from darkness. I remember all those apprentices drawing their power from me, I’m calling in my favors.” Darkness surges around Vanitas while pillars of light lash out at the nightmare. Kairi’s shade unleashes a faith spell hitting it in the chest, the monster howls in pain, it shoots it’s beams at the Kairi image shattering it. The shards separate into two new forms, Young Xehanort crosses his energy blades in front of him and an X shaped wave of energy that impacts it at the same time a Sora image lets loose a strike raid.

 

Dark thorned vines bind them and the thing lunges, using one as a spring board to destroy the other. The distraction was enough, Vanitas grips the hilt of a ghostly χ-blade with a Ventus shade holding it just above Vanitas’ hand. _How, the χ-blade?! You do not have the means, nor the ability, it’s imp-_ Vanitas and Ventus’ shade thrust forward in one fluid motion skewering the nightmare and a column of light and darkness engulfs it, the three aquamarine gazing eyes crack, their pupils shrunken in pain and fear. _No! I can’t lose, he’ll wake up, he’ll forget EVERYTHING!_ Vanitas snarls and pushes forward, “good, bad dreams like you should be forgotten, that’s the good part about waking up!” The light fades the gazing eyes shatter and the nightmare’s form burns away Vanitas is left holding it’s small true form. He crushes it and the station shatters.

 

Vanitas turns around, walking across the empty void towards a man lying on his back. His robes are in tatters exposing much of his muscular frame. Silver hair is splayed like a halo around his head. He has a small soul patch on his chin. Vanitas smiles down at him and the man opens his eyes, “Ventus?” Vanitas shakes his head, “not for a long time.” The man looks confused, “I had the strangest dream, it was awful, where are the others?” Vanitas crouches next to the man, “they; they’ll be on their way just wait for them okay?” The lying man smiles an easy smile, “they’re my best friends, of course I’ll wait for them.” Then he fades away, Vanitas stands up and whispers “good bye master.” The world changes Kairi and Hercules are watching him with wary suspicion.

 

“There was a powerful nightmare attached to that blade, I imagine it was just the first of at least four.” Kairi frowns, “there was an extremely potent darkness when you tried to shatter it. Do you know how it got there?” Vanitas shakes his head, “no, but it’s been there for a while, before Xehanort. Just a warning princess, they are extremely dangerous, and you wont have the keyblade to help you so get some tricks up your sleeve before you face one.” Kairi nods and Herc just looks between them and sighs, “get going, that blade was a really old relic, if there was a monster clinging to it then it’s probably for the best but a lot of people are gonna be unhappy that you destroyed it.”

 

 

**??? Days to Zero Hour**

 

Sora is jolted awake by a deep rumbling that echoes across the Realm of Darkness, a tide of heartless agitated by the disruption are surging from underground all around them. Huge sections of dusty road collapsing into the underground. Sora looks to Aqua panicked, “what’s happening?” Aqua shakes her head, “I don’t know, there hasn’t been a disturbance this bad since you restored the lost worlds two years ago!” The ground gives way between them Aqua jumps and makes a turn to grab Sora but it’s too late, as Sora braces to jump the ground beneath him crumbles and he falls deeper into the Realm of Darkness than anyone has ever fallen. Aqua’s scream for him and the sound of battle as she tries to get to him around the heartless crawling up from the pit can be heard all the way down.

 

 

**50 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Roxas has finally gotten sick of waiting, first he’d made a trip to Twilight Town, but without Axel or Xion the whole event felt empty. So instead he enters the central rotunda of the building they’re staying in. “You’ve been a keyblade wielder for a long time right?” Lauriam looks up from the lunar tear flowers he’s tending, “yes, I’m one of the five who reestablished the master system.” Roxas nods, “then you must know more about the keyblade than someone who’s self taught.” Lauriam stands up dusting himself off. “That is true, though you and Sora both possess uncanny skill for someone self-taught.”

 

Roxas smiles a little at that, “still, there are a couple tricks I can teach you. Shotlocks for one, command styles for another. But most importantly, the ability to draw upon those hearts you’ve touched and have been touched by you. In battle that ability can mean the difference between life and death.” Lauriam summons his keyblade and Roxas does the same.

 

“First the shotlock, aim your keyblade at your target and focus your power. Given your affinity for Light I want you to try and draw on that first.” Roxas nods and aims at Lauriam, concentrating hard then his keyblade fires off a series of light arrows, Lauriam blocks them with his keyblade. “Excellent, have you used this before? Shotlocks tend to be a bit finicky.” Roxas nods, “when I fought Sora, they weren’t as focused then though.” Lauriam seems thoughtful, “then you were merely learning how to aim them just now; interesting.” Lauriam smiles, “now the hard part, can you open yourself up to those you’ve touched, and been touched by before you lose to me?” He opens with his own shotlock then charges.

 

Lauriam calls on the powers of light and darkness with ease creating arcs of enervating energy and toxic or blinding pools of darkness in the same breath as flower shaped waves of light or light augmented spells. Still he can’t master it to the same degree as Roxas, who uses a faith spell to counter the pools of darkness around him. He feels a strange stir, a half remembered comment about the perfect Halloween decorations. Holding his keyblade in front of him ice magic empowered ghosts fly out of it towards Lauriam while Firaga jack-o-lanterns sprout like landmines across the rotunda. Next he uses his memories of Xion, helping her avoid the organization’s wrath when she couldn’t summon her keyblade. The pain of losing her after that final battle, thunder spells surrounded by an aura of darkness are deflected by Lauriam but he’s driven to dodge. Realizing he has no chance keeping his distance like this he uses the power of darkness to warp next to Roxas keyblade drawn to strike. Roxas just smiles, the last conversation he had with Axel after he and Sora became one flowing easily to mind. Lauriam jumps back but not before being singed but the flames that engulf Roxas.

 

“I should have known any heart born from Sora’s, unique or not, would have an affinity for this magic.” Then he smiles, “I do have a surprise or two myself.” He puts out his hands before him and chants:

 

“Esta vrivro stelbargo brauhinti nenho trauvintilhus

Esta raflin tili brautus profen brive somonkratsu”

 

Darkness spirals up around him shrouding the entire rotunda.

 

“Go brauhinti nenho trauvintilhus

Brautus profen brive somonkratsu

Go brauhinti nenho trauvintilhus

Brautus profen brive somonkratsu”

 

Roxas prepares to guard but enormous thorned vines sprout from the ground and take hold of him. Lauriam appears in front of him, taps his head with his keyblade. The chant cuts out and the darkness and vines with it dissipate. Roxas drops heavily to the ground, “what was that?” Lauriam gives his most knowing smirk, the one Roxas and Larxene both agree make them want to punch him. “I heard it many, many years ago on a world broken by darkness, they called it the language of angels, it can be used to channel light or darkness.”

 

 

**45 Days to Zero Hour**

 

Almost a full work week of searching and still next to no hint, no clue. It didn’t help that Vexen wasn’t exactly organized, any sorting to the files and notes had the hallmarks of Zexion’s filing system. Roxas sighs and stands cracking his shoulders and realigning his back. “San, let me know if you or any of the others find anything,” the samurai in the room salute him crisply, which he returns tiredly. The castle’s kitchen is fully stocked since he’d made a point to go shopping when he’d visited twilight town, after being disappointed by the lack of edible items the memory rooms could conjure. He also makes himself a cup of coffee, looking over the various reports. Lots of technical jargon about memories and the replicas themselves but little help, evidently Xion was never supposed to develop an identity of her own. “I wonder if Lauriam would be mad if I just kidnapped Even and made him deal with this stuff?”

 

However he hears something that was definitely not on the agenda, a woman’s voice echoing through the castle walls. Roxas summons his keyblade and dons his new armor, the white and gray coloring matching the walls around him. “Tseli sia neso,” he begins intoning the solemn chant light seeping from within his armor as a fine mist trailing in his wake as the words awakened power from within and around him.

 

A blue haired woman turns towards him as soon as he rounds the corner, he holds his keyblade out in front of him. “You are trespassing on land belonging to organization thirteen, identify yourself.” He says the words with authority he doesn’t necessarily feel. The words seem to spark anger in the face of the one he’s talking to however. She calls her own keyblade, “I am master Aqua, and you will pay for defiling my home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all so just a heads up there will be nonlinear story telling in the later chapters, you'll be able to tell when something takes place based on a time stamp during each perspective break.


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